Strictly Straight Ballroom
by MoonFireFic
Summary: Inspired by the movie Strictly Ballroom. Jack has been training since he was six to win the Pan Atlantic Grand Prix. When he comes up with new ideas about how he wants to dance, and who with, it will change his life and the face of dancesport forever.
1. Chapter 1

**Strictly Straight Ballroom**

**Author:** moonfirefic

**Beta:** milady_dragon

**Rating:** PG-13

**Characters:** Jackie/Pete, Rose/Mickey, Jack,/Ianto, John Hart, Gwen, Rhys, Martha, The Doctor(10th), Rhiannon, Johnny, Tosh/Owen, The Master(Simm), others

**Summary:** Written for Reel Torchwood. Inspired by the movie _Strictly Ballroom_. Jack Harkness has been training at Tyler-Smith Dance Studio since he was six years old to win the Pan Atlantic Grand Prix Latin Dance Final. When he starts coming up with new ideas about how he wants to dance, and who with, it will send him on a road of self discovery that will change his life and the world of professional dancesport forever.

**A/N: **Please note that I am not a professional dancer and this is purely a work of fiction. Any dance moves mentioned are purely based on observation, and moves mentioned in passing in the movie, as I have no actual ballroom dance experience myself. Please forgive any inaccuracies in dance steps as they are only mentioned for the purpose of telling the story, and are not meant to depict actual ballroom movements.

* * *

**Chapter One**

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* * *

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_Tyler-Smith Dance Studio_

_Cardiff, Wales_

"Take your time Mrs. Tyler," said Sarah Jane Smith with a comforting smile. "There's no rush. Just tell me what happened in your own words."

Jackie Tyler gave the journalist a nervous smile and set down her teacup. "I have a DVD of the performance, might be best if we start there," she said looking at her for confirmation.

"That's a splendid idea," Sarah Jane praised. "Give me a bit of background on all the players and how it all happened. Well done Mrs. Tyler."

"Please, call me Jackie," she replied as she pressed the button on the remote. The title card _South East Wales Dance Festival _filled the screen, before fading into a grand dance hall with figures of men in tuxedos and women in chiffon and satin dresses dancing sliding into view.

"That's my Jack there – he and his partner Gwen Cooper in the yellow," she pointed out the handsome couple as they sailed across the screen. "Oh! The pair in purple, that's Tosh and Owen, another couple of the dancers from our studio."

Sarah Jane nodded and jotted down the names. "And do they always compete against one another?" she asked, glancing back to where Jackie and her husband Pete sat on the couch before her.

"Sometimes," Jackie replied glancing to where John 'Doc' Smith, co-owner of Tyler-Smith Dance Studio sat in the armchair to her left. "Jack won most of the trophies in this room," she continued, gesturing to the cases and tables full of trophies, ribbons and awards. "You see, that's the tragedy, my son was a champion."

Sarah Jane glanced back at the screen where the announcer was introducing the next event.

"Jack has always been popular off the dance floor with both the men and the ladies," Jackie hastened to continue. "He'd done some experimental steps and same sex dancing in clubs or during rehearsals in the past, but _never _in competition. And we never imagined he would do anything like that in front of _Harold Saxon_."

Pete, Jackie's husband, quiet until that point, growled and muttered 'tosser' under his breath at the mention of Harold Saxon, U.K. Dance Federation President. The room fell silent as the announcer on the DVD introduced Saxon and plugged his latest dance video, featuring only federation approved ballroom steps. Pete glared at the screen as Saxon came into view, smiling and wishing the dancers luck on the main event. Muttering something about filling the soda machine, Pete got up to leave, failing to notice Jackie glaring at his back in frustration as he left.

"So you were fairly confident in Jack and Gwen's chances going into the event?" Sarah Jane prompted, hoping to draw her attention back to the interview.

"Yes of course," Jackie replied, her concern about Pete gone. "I don't think there was a doubt in anyone's mind that Jack and Gwen would be the next U.K. Pan Atlantic Latin American Dance Champions." Sarah Jane smiled encouragingly, hoping she would continue. "And then," Jackie stopped. "And then, came that bloody samba."

They turned to watch the samba in question play out onscreen. Jack and Gwen were moving down the floor in an intricate routine, and obviously doing well. Another couple in white and pink seemed to be the only contender close to their level.

"The couple in white seems rather good," Sarah Jane remarked as they executed a series of dips and spins.

"That's John Hart and Diane Holmes," Jackie replied, unsurprised. "John's always been a wonderful ambassador for ballroom dancing." Music filled the room as the competition continued. "But I think that everyone there really thought it was Jack's turn."

As they watched, John spun Diane around him twice and forced Jack and Gwen to dance around them and into the corner of the dance floor. Jackie paused the DVD looking to Doc for help in explaining the rest.

"It is true," Doc began, taking off his glasses and sitting up in his chair to address Sarah Jane properly. "That Jack and Gwen became what we term as 'boxed in' or blocked." Jackie restarted the DVD and the three of them watched as Jack and Gwen tried without success to get around the other couple. "It was no excuse however for what Jack did."

In the middle of a turn with Gwen, Jack reached out and grabbed onto John's arms and spun him across the floor, turning him out and back in, and gesturing for Gwen to follow. The camera panned up to the astonished faces of the judges in the background, and then back to where Jack and John were dancing around each other, one upping each other with more and more intricate moves like a couple of stags butting their antlers. Jack pulled John into a dead-man's drop, spinning him back up and keeping them moving until Gwen was close enough. Once she was within reach, he spun and leapt away from John and back into her arms to wild applause from the audience.

"Jack's been my student for years," Doc continued, "but never have I ever encouraged him to dance with a same sex partner in competition, or to resort to his own flashy, crowd pleasing steps."

"He forced me to do it," added Gwen, as she came into the lounge and perched on the arm of Doc's chair. "Where the man goes, the lady must follow," she sniffed, her eyes filling with tears as she watched it play out again onscreen. "I had no choice." Jackie stood up to comfort her and Gwen let out a sob and ran from the room in a flood of tears.

"I keep asking myself why," Jackie whispered as she sat back down. "Did I do something wrong?" she was fighting back her own tears now. "Did I fail him as a mother? " Sarah Jane held out a tissue and Doc reached over to pat Jackie's arm in consolation. "In front of Harold Saxon! Oh Doc, how will we ever live it down?"

"But from what I can see the crowd loved it," Sarah Jane observed watching as the crowd cheered every lift and flip that Jack did with both John and Gwen.

"Well to pick what was actually wrong with how they danced, you'd have to be an experienced professional. Like say, myself, or Federation President Harold Saxon," Doc tried to explain. Sarah Jane nodded and flipped back in her notes to her short and somewhat terse phone interview with Saxon the day before. He had told her that you can dance any steps you like, but if you did, you wouldn't win. He also told her that other than beginners' classes where men were scarce, that there was no room for same sex couples in professional dance sport. A real sweetheart of a tyrant, she had written in the margin. After re-reading her notes, she looked up at the distraught face of Jackie Tyler and decided that she needed a moment to compose herself.

"We spoke earlier about the possibility of my interviewing a couple of the students," she reminded Doc, who was trying to calm Jackie down. "I was thinking the beginning class; see what the up and comers think about any potential changes to dance regulations." Doc nodded and Sarah Jane made her way back out of the lounge and into the dance studio. One of the beginning dancers, a young man named Ianto with impossibly thick glasses, a smattering of acne, a three-piece suit, and a warm smile was the only one daring enough to give her a quote.

"I thought the dancing and the new steps were brilliant," he told her, bristling with excitement. "I don't have a partner of my own yet, but I thought that what Jack danced was wonderful. They should have won." Sarah Jane nodded, jotting down his comments.

"And Mr. Harkness' orientation? Do you think it matters who he dances with?" she asked.

"I don't see why," Ianto shrugged. "It's supposed to be about the dancing isn't it? It shouldn't matter who you dance with as long as you dance from the heart." He smiled and pushed his glasses back up from where they had slid down his nose to expose a pair of twinkling blue eyes. Sarah Jane smiled back at him, glad that someone had been willing to speak with her.

"Places everyone!" called Doc, getting ready to start the next class and Sarah Jane turned to see a now composed Jackie walking towards her.

"Thank you for the quote Ianto," Sarah Jane said. The young man nodded and hurried over to join the others.

"Sorry about that," Jackie said, stopping in front of Sarah Jane, still dabbing the corners of her eyes a bit. "It's just been a bit of a shock, and reporters have been ringing us off the hook. You're the first of them we have actually agreed to see, and that was only because my sister up in Ealing mentioned that you weren't some shady tabloid writer, ready to trash our lives for a few pounds." Sarah Jane put her notepad and her recorder back in her bag and started walking towards the door.

"I promise you Mrs. Tyler, I have nothing but an overactive sense of truth up my sleeve," Sarah Jane replied, trying to reassure her. "I understand that several activist groups are pushing you to take a stance on this and make Jack a bit of a figurehead." Jackie flinched and her eyes went wide in terror. "Don't worry Mrs. Tyler, I see this as more of a human interest piece about the world of dance sport," Sarah Jane continued. "From what I have seen, it sounds like a lot more than just the steps and gender of the partners you can dance with need to change. I plan on following several other dancers on their road to the championships. I promise you, I will not drag your son through the mud just to sell a story." Jackie nodded, the worry crease in her forehead abating slightly. "I need to check a few facts and type up some notes. I should have the story finished by Wednesday. Would you like an advanced copy?" Jackie nodded and Sarah Jane gave her another copy of her card. "Call me if you think of anything else you want to add," she said shaking her hand. "I'll be in touch."

Jackie closed the door behind her and let out a sigh before turning around to face the studio once more. Putting a smile on her face she made her way back to the changing room to try and talk Gwen into staying partners with Jack. The U.K. Pan Atlantic Grand Prix Championships were only three weeks away, and she had a lot of work to do.

* * *

_Tyler-Smith Dance Studio_

_Three days later …_

"One, two, three, four. Partner-up!" called out Doc as the dancers got into lines. Doc took Jackie into his arms and the two of them led the beginner's class in a simple two step.

"They were on the phone for hours last night," Jackie whispered as she gave Doc the latest on Jack and Gwen. "I have a good feeling about today."

"Don't you worry about a thing," Doc replied. "Spinning the girl off!" he called out to the other dancers, who spun their partners out as instructed. As Jackie spun away from Doc she noticed Ianto dancing by himself to the side. His partner and former girlfriend Lisa had quit a few months ago leaving him without a partner.

"Ianto luv, are you out of that apricot scrub?" she asked, taking in the fresh breakout of acne on his chin.

"Nearly Mrs. Tyler," he responded, coming to a stop beside her.

"I'll bring some in tomorrow along with the toner," she said, "It's a special this week and will fix that right up."

"Thanks Mrs. Tyler," he said with a polite smile. Jackie had a side business as a makeup consultant and had made Ianto her pet project for a while now much to his chagrin.

"Grand roulette in!" called out Doc, pulling Jackie back under his arm and in front of him.

"I smoothed it all over," Doc reassured to Jackie. "When Doc Smith talks, Harold Saxon listens." Jackie giggled back at him, sure that all the troubles of the previous weekend were over.

"I've got my happy face on today, Doc. Everything's going to be alright, you'll see."

* * *

_Meanwhile in the lounge…_

"I'm just asking you Gwen, what did you think about the steps?" Jack asked, wanting to know her honest opinion once and for all.

"I don't think!" Gwen exclaimed, tired of going circles around the issue. "I don't give a shit about what we danced. We lost!"

"I don't want us to end up like that drunk, John Hart," Jack retorted. Sure he'd danced with and even slept with the man, but Hart was a ballroom puppet without a single new idea in his over peroxided head.

"John Hart is a ballroom king!" Gwen shot back at him. Before Jack could reply, she turned around and threw open the saloon doors leading into the studio.

"Aaaahhh!" Gwen screamed in frustration, causing everyone to stop dancing and stare. Gwen took a big breath and stomped across the floor.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Tyler. I have tried. God knows, I have tired. But as far as I can see, your son isn't even interested in winning at the Pan Atlantics," She drew a breath and stood up straight with her head held high. "As of this moment, he and I are no longer partners." Gwen began to walk away, and bumped right into Ianto who was busy salting the dance floor. The two of them collided and scuffled about in the salt, with Gwen managing to break off the heel of her shoe and Ianto latching onto the ruffle on the front of her dress, tearing it off as he scrambled to stand.

"Sorry Gwen," he said thrusting the ruffle into her hands and making a hasty exit.

"Toshiko!" Gwen screamed, as she fell again. Tosh quickly dropped Owen's hand and ran to help her friend up. "Oh Toshiko," she sobbed. "This stupid studio's a bloody nightmare."

"Come on," Tosh said helping her limp to the ladies changing room. "Let's get you cleaned up and dry those tears."

"Tango please!" called out Doc, trying to distract the students from the display.

"What now?" asked Doc, pulling her in from a spin, not sure what to do.

"Stay calm, Doc, stay calm," she replied as they tangoed across the floor. She heard the saloon doors reopen. "Here he comes. Pete, Pete! Do something!" she called over to where Pete was sitting in the corner sorting the records and CDs.

"Son," said Pete standing up to address his step-son. "Can I bend your ear for a tick?"

"Not now, Pete," growled Jack.

"Don't you speak to your step-father like that!" Jackie snapped at Jack slapping him in the arm as she leaned back and hung from Doc's hand. "He's trying to talk to you_, talk _to him Pete."

Jack turned to look at Pete, who blinked and stared back at him with his mouth hanging open. When a full minute went by without him saying anything, Jack shook his head and walked to the men's changing room. He found Owen inside doing chin-ups before his afternoon lesson.

"Hey Harkness – are we going to work on that Bogo Pogo step soon?" Owen asked, dropping down to the floor. "Tosh is keen to add it into the routine and since she's finally warming to the idea of doing a little dancing off the floor, so to speak, I need to get it right." Jack straightened up from his locker and turned to Owen.

"Did you like the way I danced this weekend?" he asked, hoping that at least his long time friend would give him a straight answer.

"What?" Owen asked surprised; Jack never asked his opinion on routines.

"Did you like the way I danced?" Jack repeated the question.

"I don't know Jack," Owen replied. "You didn't win so what's it matter?"

"Well did you like it?" Jack asked again.

"Look Harkness, I don't care what you dance, or who with, as long as you help me with the Bogo Pogo," answered Owen. "I've liked Tosh for ages, and this is the first time she's seen me as more than just another horny doctor. I really want to make a go of this and you promised me you'd help."

"I know, and I'll help," Jack replied, taking off his jacket and throwing it into his locker. "But what I really want to know is if you liked the new steps?"

"I don't know!" Owen said again confused. "Why are you pushing this?"

"Because everyone is afraid to have a damn opinion!" Jack shouted back before slamming his locker and returning to the studio floor.

As he stomped back into the room, Doc caught him by the arm. "We had an agreement Jack!" he reminded him as they clasped hands and joined in the tango.

"Maybe I changed my mind," Jack retorted. "Maybe I am just sick of dancing somebody else's steps all the time. Maybe I want to try dancing with a man so that I can try some more acrobatic steps, and stronger movements."

"The recognized steps aren't wrong Jack," Doc scolded him as they moved across the floor. "The people who passed on those steps know a lot more about dancing then you ever will."

"The audience didn't think so," Jack said with a smirk.

"Oh the audience, bunch of apes the lot of them," Doc replied with disdain. "Forward on the heel, Ianto!" he called out before turning back to Jack. "Like they know anything about dance. All they see is the flash and the show, not the artistry, not the floor craft." Jack frowned. "Arms, Johnny!" Doc called out as Johnny bent his arms oddly yet again. "There was no energy between your feet and the floor, your line was a mess, you could have driven a truck through your left and your right hand, is that what you think is going to win the Pan Atlantics?"

Owen and Tosh, who had left Gwen alone to clean herself up, were dancing nearby watching the exchange with interest.

"Does he really think he's going to win with some crap steps and pretty-boy flash?" Owen asked Tosh. "I mean the gay part doesn't really bug me, but the steps were all over the place." He spun her into a forward arch, before releasing a hand to pull her gently back towards him. "Made us look good though," he added with a smirk.

"Well he did say last week that our routine needed a lot of work," Tosh replied with a shrug as Owen spun her out and back in front of him.

"Bloody hell!" Owen exclaimed. "If he thinks that, then I hope he does compete with his trash steps so that we can win." He drew her back in and clasped her to him, deciding then and there that if he needed help, he would ask Doc for a few pointers. Jack could deal with the fallout of this one himself.

"And what's more," Doc continued, unconscious of how loud his voice had become, "You won't win if you don't have a partner."

Meanwhile Jackie was busy on the other side of the room trying to get Johnny to straighten his arms out and keep her smile in place. "Well Ianto," she said as he passed her with Natalie, another of the beginners in his arms. "You managed to upset Gwennie."

"Sorry Mrs. Tyler," he replied politely. "I'll just go and apologize." He twirled Natalie off to sit in the chair behind them, pausing briefly to straighten his tie before hurrying towards the ladies changing room.

Meanwhile Doc was still chastising Jack. "Go to Gwen and beg forgiveness," he advised him. "You're nothing without her Jack. Remember, it takes two to tango. You've a light inside you Jack; let it shine."

Ianto straightened his cuffs and knocked on the ladies changing room door, calling for Gwen to come out. An instant later, she slammed it open into his face, knocking him into the corner. As Jack's younger sister Rose came over to make sure that Ianto was alright, Gwen strode across the room and gave Tosh a hug, while throwing daggers over her shoulder at Jack. Holding her chin up in defiance, she turned to leave.

Jack ran across the room and slid over a table, stopping her exit. Pete, who had resumed his post at the record player, turned the music up as Jack began chasing her across the room in time to the beat of the tango. Eventually he cornered her behind him and she tossed her purse into Pete's lap and let Jack take her into his arms. The two of them danced at a blistering pace, as Jackie watched on delighted.

"I knew you'd come to your senses," Gwen said with a smug smile as they made a swift turn around the floor. Jack froze and began to spin and flip around her, breaking the routine to add some of the new steps he had created.

"No! I don't want this!" screamed Gwen, stomping her foot in frustration.

"Then what do you want?" Jack demanded.

"I'll tell you what I want," Gwen snarled back at him. "I want John Hart to walk in here right now, and tell me that Diane Homes has broken both her legs, and now he wants to dance with me!"

The bell over the studio door jingled and John Hart himself burst through. Gwen's mouth dropped open in surprise as he strode across the floor and came to a stop in front of her and took her hand in his.

"Diane Holmes has broken both her legs, and I want to dance with you," he said, starting down at her.

"That was unexpected," Rose commented, as she handed Ianto an icepack. Ianto nodded, watching the exchange with interest.

The next song, a waltz, sprang up and John began to twirl Gwen across the floor. Not quite sure what to do, the other dancers followed suit until the music stopped and Doc called out that class was over and it was time to go.

"Chairs, Johnny. Broom, Natalie," directed Jackie, walking into the lounge to catch her breath. How had this happened? Gwen was dancing with John now? What about Jack? Forcing a smile back on her face, Jackie walked back out trying to ignore how Gwen was gushing about John to Tosh and Owen.

"Pete are you ready? Pete?" called out Jackie. But Pete was nowhere to be found. Suddenly it all became too much and Jackie started sobbing in the corner.

"There there," consoled Doc, pulling her into a hug. "Where's that happy face?"

"Let's go," Gwen whispered to the others, suddenly feeling bad for everything that had happened. She pushed them towards the exit, and promised herself that she would come by to check on Mrs. Tyler in the morning.

"Oh Doc, what are we going to do?" Jackie continued sobbing. "He's my only son."

"I know Jacks," said Doc with a smile. "There's still time. Lord of time management me. We'll find him a new partner tomorrow you'll see. Now here's Pete to take you home."

"Come on Jackie," Pete muttered gathering their things.

"Goodnight, don't let the space bugs bite," called Doc as the family left. As the door closed Jack came back down the stairs and walked towards the lounge.

"Jack," he called out, waiting for his protégé to turn around. "You're our best dancer. There's still three weeks. We'll find you a partner, I'm sure of it."

"Sure Doc," Jack answered half heartedly. Seeing that Jack needed some time to himself, Doc gave him a small smile and a nod, and left him alone.

* * *

Jack stood in the empty dance studio going over everything that had happened. During the competition he had felt free; for the first time in years, dancing had been fun again. No strict steps and claustrophobic uncreative movements, just him and whatever partner struck his fancy dancing with the beat of the music. Jack took a step towards the wall length mirror and tossed his over shirt off until only the tank underneath remained. He moved into the first position of the samba that he knew so well and immediately dropped his arms again.

"Utter bullshit," he complained aloud, shaking his head. Clearing his mind, he let the music from the competition pound in his head and began to move with it, spinning in place and stretching and flipping across the floor, letting the beat in his head direct his movements, sliding across the floor on his knees and pushing himself back up and around the support pole on the side of the studio, dancing to an inner rhythm and feeling once more that inner beat that wanted to burst out from somewhere deep inside. After making a final spin and leap he came to rest against the mirror and spotted someone behind him.

"That's looking good mate," The man said.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked, trying to place the tall lanky man in a suit before him.

"Oh. I-I just," he sputtered, running his hands through his hair.

"How long have you been here?" Jack asked, suddenly wondering what he had seen.

"Two years," the man replied with a nervous smile before realizing what Jack had meant. "Oh you mean tonight! Just a moment or two, I was just looking for someone…" he trailed off.

"Everyone's gone home," said Jack crossing his arms, finally placing the man as one of the students in the beginner's class.

"Yeah I know," said the man. "It's just I've got this idea'" he sputtered again. "I want to try to…." Jack stared down at him. "I-I want to dance with you," he finally managed to get out.

"You what?" Jack asked confused.

"I want to dance with you, your way at the Pan Atlantics," he said.

"The Pan Atlantics? With me?" Jack clarified, trying not to laugh.

"Yeah," he replied with a grin.

"You can't dance my way, you don't win," Jack replied, hoping to put him off.

"It's just because you're overdoing it," the man said. Jack stared back at him in disbelief, who did this guy think he was? "If you toned it down a bit, and had the right partner…" he trailed off once more.

Jack laughed. "And you're the right partner are you?"

"I understand how you feel. I make up my own steps too you see," he replied, undaunted.

"Oh you do, do you?" Jack said, trying not to roll his eyes as he reached over to grab his shirt.

"Yep, and neither of us have partners now, so we should give it a go," he summed up, looking at Jack hopefully.

"You've been dancing for what – two years?" Jack asked. At the man's nod, he carried on. "And now you come up to someone who's been dancing since he was six years old, and say you want to dance non-federation, with another man no less, at the Pan Atlantics, with three weeks to train."

"Yes."

"I don't think so," Jack replied walking away.

"Just give me a chance."

"Don't embarrass yourself," Jack threw over his shoulder, still walking away from him.

"Just one hour to prove myself," he countered. "Do you want to dance your own steps or not?"

Jack stopped and spun around. "It's none of your business. You're a just a beginner, you have no right to approach an open rank amateur."

"And an open rank amateur has no right to dance as you did," he countered.

"That's different!" Jack protested.

"How?" he demanded. "You're just like the rest of them. You think you're different, but you're not. Vivir con miedo es como vivir a medias! You're just scared, and afraid that someone else might have more talent than you, you _pendejo_!" He stopped and stared at Jack a moment, flushing in embarrassment at his outburst before spinning on his heel and walking away. Jack watched him go and suddenly noticed how gracefully the man moved across the floor. He had seen him in the beginner's class before, but had never noticed that natural grace in his movements before now.

"Wait!" Jack called out. Smirking to himself as the other man stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. "What's your name again?"

"Jones, Ianto Jones," he said, pushing up his glasses and holding out his hand. Jack shook it and pulled Ianto towards him and into first position.

"Alright Jones, don't push me," Jack said. "Rumba." Jack took the first step and Ianto stumbled forward. "Great! You can't even do a basic," Jack grumbled.

"You said one hour," Ianto replied with a smirk as he slipped off his suit jacket. Jack started counting and they began again.

"One, two, three," Jack counted as they staggered through a few more steps. A misguided turn and Jack sighed, pulling him back to first position. "We're telling a story here Ianto. Rumba's the dance of love. Look at me like you're in love," Jack guided.

Ianto looked up through his glasses and Jack stared back, noticing that his eyes were a lovely shade of blue. "That's it. Good."

They kept going and Jack stepped it up into a turn and a lunge, then a drag, hold combo. To his surprise, Ianto kept up with him. Jack kept directing, ignoring the comments that Ianto was making, until finally Ianto stepped away from him and pivoted into a Flamenco step, moving his feet lightning fast and twirling around him. Jack stood back stunned.

"Where did that come from?" he asked in surprise.

"Just something I've been working on at home," Ianto replied pleased that Jack was finally talking to and not at him.

"Show me?" Jack asked. Ianto did it again and Jack tried it twice before getting it right. They danced for another half an hour before Ianto's mobile rang and he answered it, rattling off something in Welsh before closing it.

"I need to head out," he said. "Thank you for the dance Jack." Jack nodded and followed him to the door.

"Can you meet me here tomorrow?" Jack asked as he opened the door for him.

"Should be able to," Ianto shrugged, putting on his jacket.

"I'm still going to do the try-outs," warned Jack, not quite ready to commit to this new partnership just yet.

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Ianto replied with a smirk.

"Tomorrow then," Jack replied with a grin, Ianto nodded and left. Jack watched him go, wondering just what he had gotten himself into.


	2. Chapter 2

**Strictly Straight Ballroom**

**Author:** moonfirefic

**Beta:** milady_dragon

**Rating:** PG-13

**Characters:** Jackie/Pete, Rose/Mickey, Jack,/Ianto, John Hart, Gwen, Rhys, Martha, The Doctor(10th), Rhiannon, Johnny, Tosh/Owen, The Master(Simm), others

**Summary:** Inspired by the movie _Strictly Ballroom_. Jack Harkness has been training at Tyler-Smith Dance Studio since he was six years old to win the Pan Atlantic Grand Prix Latin Dance Final. When he starts coming up with new ideas about how he wants to dance, and who with, it will send him on a road of self discovery that will change his life and the world of professional dancesport forever.

* * *

**Chapter Two

* * *

**

_Tyler-Smith Dance Studio_

_The following afternoon_

Jack kept his promise and under Doc's watchful eye went through the try-outs with a variety of partners. As he did so, Jackie, Pete, Rose, Mickey and several of the other regulars watched from the lounge counter window. Ianto kept to the back of the group, observing his competition in silence, but as each one was politely told that they would let them know, his heart soared a bit knowing that each dismissal meant one more day that he could keep dancing with Jack.

"She's got no body flight," Rose observed with a frown, watching as the latest dancer, a pretty, slender, but timid girl, danced past. The others tried not to snicker, as the fifteen year old called out the flaws of each dancer with ease.

By the time a week had passed, Jackie was starting to get worried. "They're too tall, too short, too tubby, well you know what I mean, too fat," Jackie complained to Doc as she marked another day off on the calendar. "It's like he doesn't want to find anyone who's compatible!"

"Maybe he has someone else in mind?" Ianto offered as he walked past. Jackie turned to stare at the normally quiet man in surprise. As she looked at him, she noticed that his skin seemed to have cleared up.

"Are you using that scrub?" Jackie asked. She couldn't remember giving it to him as she had been too busy with concern for Jack.

"Sorry, no," Ianto replied with a nervous smile. "Turns out I was allergic to it. Seems to be clearing up now though thanks," he hastily added before making his way to the changing room. Jackie watched him leave, wondering to herself if he had overhead Jack discussing a new partner. She waited for him to walk back out but was distracted when Pete dropped one of the record cases. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she quickly went to help him, her need to question Ianto quickly forgotten.

Jackie wasn't the only one wondering about the possibility of a secret partner. Owen and Tosh, who worked together at a local family medical clinic, had a bet going on whether or not Jack would even show at the next competition.

"He never showed up to help us with that blasted Bogo Pogo step," Owen complained. "Either he's got something going on the side, or he's too stubborn to admit that he can't find anyone else to dance with." Tosh nodded. She'd seen Jack staying late every day for the last week; maybe there really was a secret partner that none of them knew about. Gwen had been bragging about John nonstop, but her money was on Jack pulling off something amazing at the last minute.

"He's obviously lost it," John told Gwen while relaxing with her in his hot tub after their latest practice session. "He never could stand being left, always has to be the dumpee, not the dumper that Jack. I think he's all washed up and out of options." He edged a little closer and Gwen smiled back at him. She really didn't want to hurt Jack, but dancing with John was like dancing in a dream. An alcohol infused dream mind you, but when he was sober, a lovely graceful dream full of proper ballroom steps and no crazy partner swapping. Clinking her glass of wine against John's, she wondered idly if Jack would recover from all of this. Before she could ponder it any further, John set his glass down and pulled her in for a kiss, and all thoughts about Jack quickly flew out of her head.

* * *

_Later that evening – _

Despite the try-outs, Jack and Ianto were still working for several hours each night, and much to Jack's surprise, seemed to be making progress.

"Good," he commented, as Ianto spun away from him. "Come back in now but not too far." Ianto complied and turned just a bit too much until they collided. Jack frowned and Ianto pushed his glasses back up his nose in embarrassment.

They tried it again and they kept going until Ianto missed a step again. "No," Jack barked out in frustration, and Ianto quickly apologized.

"Let's take a break," Jack said, giving him a small smile before walking over to the fridge to get them each a bottle of water.

"Try-outs going well?" Ianto asked over his shoulder, trying to make conversation.

"Great," Jack threw back in reply as he opened the fridge door.

Ianto loosened his tie and rolled up his shirt sleeves as he walked over to the trophy case. Picking up one of the photos of Jackie and Doc dancing he smiled.

"Jackie and Doc were great dancers weren't they?" he asked.

"Yeah they were," Jack replied, suddenly wondering what he was doing dancing with a beginner in secret when he should be out looking for another champion class partner, and not letting Jackie and Doc down. He knew they would never be ready in time, and if he was going to get a real partner, he needed to end this, whatever this thing was with Ianto, now. Letting out a sigh, he came out of the lounge and found Ianto looking at some of the photos. He had loosened up a bit over the last week or so, and Jack found himself smiling as he saw the rolled up shirtsleeves, and unbuttoned shirt collar.

"They don't talk about it much do they?" Ianto asked as he put the photo of Jackie and Doc back on the counter. Jack stared at it a moment before answering.

"Not really, I think it's because of Pete," he finally answered, looking up at Ianto's hopeful expression and wondering how he was going to do this. It should be easy; Jack had always been able to pickup and drop partners with ease. But somehow this time, he was afraid of what Ianto would say.

"Look Ianto…" he started, and saw Ianto's face fall as if he knew what was coming. Jack cursed himself as he knew how his next words would sound. Before he could speak a door slammed downstairs and he snuck over to the basement door to see who it was. Peaking around the door, he saw Pete digging through the old locker in the basement full of mementos from old competitions. Pete was blowing the dust off of an old record, and humming to himself as he closed the doors to the locker and turned to make his way back upstairs. Jack quickly slipped away from the door and grabbed Ianto's hand, pulling him out the side door and up onto the roof.

As they watched through a window above, Pete crossed the empty dance floor to the record player and placed the record on the turntable.

"What's he doing?" Ianto asked, trying to get a better angle from his perch against the railing.

"He's always hiding away doing something," Jack replied, watching as Pete placed the needle on the record and music started to fill the room. He saw his stepdad start to sway with the beat and turned to Ianto with a grin, stopping short as he saw the other man remove his glasses to wipe a bit of dust from his eye. He had never noticed before how handsome the other man really was.

"Can you dance without them?" he asked, suddenly wanting nothing more than to see what those blue eyes looked like without the glasses to hide them.

Ianto looked up and Jack smiled when he saw Ianto's blue eyes meet his own with a tentative smile as he nodded that he could. Jack felt like kicking himself. How had he missed this? Had he been so focused on finding all of Ianto's faults as a dancer, that he had missed seeing the man himself? Folding up the glasses and slipping them into Ianto's shirt pocket, he drew his hand down Ianto's arm and clasped his hand in his own.

"Come on, we've got work to do," he said with a lazy smile as he pulled him away from the railing and the windows overlooking the studio. Ianto laughed and Jack found himself laughing along with him. The first genuine laugh he'd had in weeks. The two of them glided across the roof, and now that both of them had finally relaxed, the moves seemed to come with ease. Somehow the hesitation that Jack had felt from Ianto since the beginning seemed to be melting away and as he praised him and counted out the next series of steps, he couldn't stop from thinking that he had found his partner, rules be damned.

Below them on the empty dance floor, Pete was dancing to the beat, smiling to himself as he felt the familiar rush of steps long forgotten, and heard the soft pounding of his stepson and Ianto on the roof above him.

* * *

_Tyler Household_

_One week later_

"It was his year!" Jackie complained as she sewed the sequins onto Mickey and Rose's costumes for the All Wales District Competition. "It was Jack's year and he's gone and thrown it all away." She stood up to check the fit of Mickey's shirt. "You wouldn't do that to me would you Mickey?" she asked, hoping that at least one of her pupils wouldn't let her down.

"No," Mickey replied smiling brightly, glancing over at where Rose was twirling her new longer dance dress in circles in front of a nearby mirror.

"Doc will find a partner," Pete said, humming to himself as he danced across the kitchen.

"There's no time Pete," Jackie grumbled. "She'd have to be a champion. You think someone like Martha Jones is wondering around going, 'I wonder who I'll dance with'?"

Pete just kept on dancing without comment, and Mickey grinned. He almost never saw Mr. Tyler this excited about anything outside of soda drinks.

"Why don't you and Mrs. Tyler have a go in the over 35's Mr. Tyler? He asked.

Pete stumbled a moment, but kept on dancing. "I don't like competitions," he said looking over at Jackie.

"Dad hasn't done competitions in years," Rose explained returning to where Mickey was standing.

"But you should give it a go," Mickey protested. "I bet you'd be good." Pete smiled at the boy and winked, still dancing across the kitchen. Jackie who had remained silent through the exchange, suddenly turned red and shouted at him.

"Pete will you stop that!" she cried. "Stop that shuffling, you stupid man!" Pete stopped and glared at her. Jackie broke down in tears and Pete sighed.

"Don't cry mum," Rose soothed, pulling Jackie in for a hug as Mickey and Pete exchanged a look. "Jack will find a new partner, you'll see."

"Oh, Rose," Jackie said between sobs. "I really hope you're right."

* * *

_Tyler-Smith Dance Studio_

_The following evening_

"You're ready," announced Jack, smiling at him fondly. Ianto smiled softly back.

"What for?" he asked unsure.

"I want you and me to try out for Doc tomorrow night," Jack replied.

"At districts? Are you sure?" Ianto asked, his eyes wide. Jack nodded.

"Yes!" Ianto shouted, punching his fist in the air in celebration. Jack laughed, joining in the excitement. If they proved themselves at districts, the Pan Atlantics the week after should be a breeze.

"Come on then," Jack said holding out his arm. "I'll take you home." Ianto grabbed his jacket and took it with a grin.

* * *

As the two of them made their way to the door and locked up, Pete stepped out from the shadows with a smile on his face. Maybe, just maybe his son would have the courage to dance in a way that he never could.

As they walked from the car towards the council estate near the train tracks that Ianto called home, Jack tried to ask Ianto about the phrase he had said the first night they started dancing.

"Vivir conno meeko-" Jack began.

"Vivir con miedo," Ianto corrected with a grin.

"Vivir con miedo es como vivir a medias," Jack tried again.

"Very good," Ianto replied, chuckling softly.

"But what does it mean?" Jack wanted to know.

"Basically, to live with fear is a life half lived," Ianto replied.

"Like a proverb or something?" Jack asked. Ianto nodded.

"A life half lived," Jack said contemplating the words. "I like it."

Once they reached the door to the simple tailor's shop that was the family business with Ianto's home in the back, the two of them stood in front of it staring at each other.

"Well," Jack finally said, when he noticed that Ianto was not going to make a move. "I'll see you at Districts tomorrow." He turned to leave and Ianto took a step forward, wanting him to stay at least a few moments longer.

"Do, do you think the rumba is the right one to do?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Doc will love it, you'll see," Jack replied with a smile.

"I do, too…the rumba, I mean," Ianto replied, pulling nervously on his shirt cuffs. Jack stared down at him, into those impossibly blue eyes and wondered if he could keep this professional. He knew he was attracted to the other man, but he didn't want to push him. If he remembered right, he had been with a girl named Lisa up until a few months ago, and straight as far as he knew. He needed to stop this now before he confused the poor man more then he probably already was.

"Ianto, you know what I said about the rumba, being the dance of love?" Jack asked, trying to build up his resolve.

"Yeah," Ianto answered, stepping closer.

"Well, you know its pretend right?" Jack asked, wanting to make his point clear.

"Oh, no…I don't think," Ianto sputtered. "Wait you didn't think? Because I don't…" He continued backing up and bumping into a nearby trashcan.

"No I didn't…Are you alright?" Jack asked, reaching to help him steady himself. Ianto flinched back from Jack as if his hand had burned him.

"You better go before the whole house wakes," he said, standing up and smoothing down his suit. "Night," he called over his shoulder before moving towards the side fence gate and letting himself in.

Jack stared at the fence a moment before turning to head back to his car. Ianto had seemed nervous; almost embarrassed at the thought of Jack thinking he liked him.

"But is he embarrassed that he likes me, or that I might like him?" he wondered aloud as he started walking back to his car.

As Jack contemplated whether or not Ianto was attracted to him, Ianto himself was busy trying to explain to his uncle why he was home so late.

"I don't care what this Jacqueline wants when it comes to practicing!" Rico shouted at his nephew. "Tomorrow you will be here for the fiesta, and no dancing partner is going to get in the way."

"But tomorrow is the All Wales District Championships!" Ianto protested.

"Enough!" Rico shouted. "I have been working at the shop all day, and Rhiannon has been taking on extra work while you slack off to dance." Ianto glanced over where his sister even now was sitting at her sewing machine finishing an order. "I need you here Ianto. And that is final."

Ianto glared back at him, not backing down. Rico tried his best to stare his nephew down, but ended up throwing up his hands in frustration and returning to his work. Ianto looked over at his sister and Rhiannon looking up at him in concern. Tired and not wanting to argue any further Ianto made his way upstairs, hoping that tomorrow his uncle would somehow understand.

* * *

_Welsh District Championships _

_The following afternoon_

The lead judges of the event were meeting for lunch before the afternoon's main events. The announcer on the dance floor below them was running through the competition announcements, mentioning thatt the featured dancers of the event would be Martha Jones and Tom Milligan.

"I want her to be Jack's new partner," Harold Saxon said, leaning across the table towards Doc Smith.

"Martha Jones?" Doc asked in surprise. Saxon had been dead set against Jack dancing with her before. What had changed?

"That's right Doc, bloody Tom's going to announce his retirement tonight," Saxon said with a grin. "Jack and Martha are without partners. I think it would be most advantageous for all concerned if they were seen together."

"But Harry," protested one of the other judges. "Jack's shenanigans have caused a lot of distracting press and online chatter to come our way."

"He's right," put in another judge. "That Sarah Jane Smith has been sniffing around and looking for us to slip up and make this a matter for the global stage. If word gets out to advocacy groups that we forced him to take her on as a partner-"

"That's why it's important that Jack is seen to be dancing the right steps with the right partner," Harry interrupted.

"Dancesport needs good young couples," Lucy Saxon, Harry's wife interjected.

"Good young _boy-girl_ couples," Harry clarified, patting her arm. "Dancesport has been a source of good clean-cut family entertainment for as long as I have held office," he continued. "I don't plan on making a mockery of all that hard work now just because some young upstart seems to think he can dance what and with whomever he pleases." He gave Doc a meaningful glare, watching the other man stare stonily back at him.

"Sorry, when did we become the morality police?" Doc asked, not comfortable with Saxon's hard line tactics.

"When you started teaching within the federation," Harry shot back. "If you want to keep teaching and keep a roof over the Tyler's heads, you'll support me on this Doc," he added, leaving no doubt that he would follow through on his threat.

Doc's eyes narrowed. "I'll agree to arrange a meeting at the social dance," he replied his face unreadable. "But the rest is up to them."

Harry stared at Doc trying to ascertain what he was planning, before snorting in frustration. "Now that we have that settled, on to new business," he said, smiling as the others picking up the agenda and continuing the meeting.

* * *

Ianto had managed to sneak away for the competition, giving Rhiannon a half baked story about helping his friend move. He made an express bus to the city center, wearing his best black pinstriped suit and waistcoat with a dark red shirt. As central Cardiff drew near, ran over the dance in his head, wanting to make sure that everything was right before their big debut. So engrossed was he in following the steps in his mind that Ianto almost missed his stop. Jumping off the bus at the last minute, he spun to a stop on the pavement, giving the driver a cheeky grin as he hurried on towards the Millennium Center where the competition was to be held.

* * *

"I've been fielding phone calls all week about the steps Jack danced at the festival," Harry complained to Doc after the meeting broke up. "Jack has a second chance with Martha," he continued, putting his arm over Doc's shoulder. "Let's not forget that a Pan Atlantic champion becomes a hero, a guiding light to all dancers, someone who sets the right example." He added looking down into the main floor to where the ballroom dance final was in progress.

* * *

_Meanwhile down on the competition floor…_

"You've been drinking," Gwen growled at John as they swept across the floor in the waltz.

"Bullshit," John hissed back, keeping his smile firmly in place. "Only had a shot or two before breakfast. Now push it, move your bloody legs Cooper."

"You bloody have," Gwen groused through gritted teeth, keeping her own smile intact. "You're drunk aren't you?"

"Bullshit. Bullshit," replied John, fighting to keep his smile in place.

"You bloody are," Gwen continued, watching as John's face turned slightly green. "Keep your head up, come on, no getting sick now." Gwen propped up his head with her hand, trying to keep up the act that everything was fine and cursing herself for not sticking with Jack. Strange steps or no, at least he came to a competition sober.

* * *

"Do you two know anything about this partner Jack is dancing with?" Jackie asked, watching Gwen and John sweep by before sitting down next to where Mickey and Rose were waiting for the junior Latin final.

"No clue," Rose replied as Jackie placed a flower in her hair to complete her look.

"Jack says we'll never guess," Jackie prattled on in concern. Pete fixed his video recorder smiling to himself, there was no way he was going to ruin the surprise.

"Doc do you know anything about this partner?" Jackie asked as Doc returned from his meeting.

"Blimey news travels fast," Doc replied with a frown.

"Who is it boss?" Mickey asked. Doc looked back at them, knowing that there was no way out of it now. He handed over a copy of the latest issue of _Dancesport Daily_ to Jackie and stood back, knowing what her reaction would be.

"Three times Pan Atlantic champion Martha Jones is hunting for a new partner," Jackie read the article. "It was announced today that her partner of ten years, Tom Milligan will be retiring due to commitments to his new medical clinic in Surrey. Their farewell exhibition will be at this weekend's District finals. Their farewell exhibition will be at this weekend's District finals. After tonight the question on every dance fan's lips is: who will snag Martha?" Jackie looked up at Doc, realization dawning on her face.

"Jack's in the running?" she asked anxiously. Doc glanced over to where Pete was watching the exchange with a frown.

"Apparently Saxon decided they should dance together," he replied, knowing that Pete would get the meaning of his words even if she didn't.

"Oh my God!" Jackie exclaimed. "We're saved."

"She's a hottie that Martha Jones," Mickey observed looking at her picture. A second later he was rubbing his arm where Rose had punched him. "Not as hot as you though Rosie," he replied with a grin.

"You're learning Mick," Doc said with a grin, watching the teenager wince as he flexed his arm.

"So she's really going to dance with him?" Jackie interrupted, not ready to believe it yet.

"Straight after her exhibition, she's hopping into the social dance with Jack per Saxon's orders," Doc replied. Jackie and the others started laughing in relief.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Jackie said to Pete as he stood stoically watching the proceedings.

"Bunch of bureaucratic bullshit if you ask me," Pete replied. Doc caught his eye and smirked.

"I won't let you ruin this for me," Jackie snapped back at him. Looking back at the article and the photograph of Martha and Tom dancing she smiled. "Isn't she lovely Pete?"

"Well she photographs well enough," he replied looking up with a smile as Ianto joined them.

"Oh Ianto, isn't it exciting?" Jackie gushed.

"Um," Ianto replied, glancing around and trying to figure out what was going on.

"I thought he'd never find a new partner, and now everything is just perfect!" she exclaimed.

"Do you really think so?" Ianto asked, surprised that she seemed so happy about his dancing with Jack.

"Of course I do, Doc and I are beside ourselves," Ianto glanced up at Doc and noticed that he seemed to be forcing the smile on his face.

"I'm very happy too," Ianto said overwhelmed.

"Of course you are love," Jackie said with a smile, reaching over to pull him closer. "Gee you look handsome this evening. I almost didn't recognize you." She looped her arm through his and pulled him closer.

"You've been using that buff puff I gave you yeah?" she asked. Ianto rolled his eyes but ignored her, still smiling and caught up in the moment.

Jack walked up a moment later, surprised to find Ianto already with his mother. Taking in the other man's appearance, his mouth ran dry. Any pretense he had of trying to keep their relationship strictly professional vanished as he realized that straight or not, he was definitely attracted to him. But why was he there already? And was his mother actually happy about the situation?

"Oh, I see you know already," he began. "I was going to tell you-"

"Oh yes, very funny, you little devil," Jackie interrupted him, letting go of Ianto to pull Jack in for a hug. "Well we know all about it," she said releasing him as the others gathered round.

"Bloody fantastic, mate," said Owen stepping up to shake his hand. "A right gem that one. How'd you manage it?" Jack stared at him in surprise. Was everyone fine with him and Ianto dancing together?

"You should have told us you know," Tosh said coming up to join the others. She and Owen had just finished the ballroom final and were stopping by to gather their Latin costumes.

"You haven't even seen us dance yet," Jack said overwhelmed.

"Oh come on son, you two were made for each other," Jackie replied, and Ianto laughed in surprise.

Pete stepped forward with his camera, wanting to capture the moment on film and hoping that Jack would acknowledge his real partner, even with someone like Martha Jones being dangled in front of him. "Just wanted to capture the big moment," Pete said smiling at Ianto.

"For goodness sake Pete," Jackie scolded him. "He's not the slightest bit interested. Look at him, he's beside himself." Ianto looked up at Jack, who grinned back at him, wanting nothing more than to take him in his arms and kiss him senseless. Who would have thought his family and friends would be so supportive?

"Who would have thought?" Jackie said, her words mirroring Jack's musings. "Our Jack dancing with someone like Martha Jones," she finished, smiling at Ianto. He smiled back and then glanced at Pete who lowered the camera, looking at her sadly.

"The Nightingale of the Dance floor for the last time with Tom Milligan… Miss Martha Jones!" called the announcer as the two of them took to the floor for their final exhibition dance, the Rumba.

"Martha Jones?" Ianto asked looking at Jack. Jack looked back at him, not sure what to say.

"Ianto, I-," he said taking a step towards him.

They all looked over to where the curtains parted to show Martha and Tom in the middle of the stage.

"Oh isn't Martha beautiful?" asked Jackie. Ianto stared at the champion couple stunned. All eyes were on them as they danced the rumba with well practiced precision. Unable to take it any longer, Ianto pushed past Jack and disappeared into the crowd.

"He's a funny one that Ianto," Jackie observed as he left.

"Excuse me," Jack said, hurriedly following him.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **_DANFLAN asked how old Jack and Ianto are in this. Scott and Liz in the movie are in their early to mid twenties so I am assuming they are about the same age._**

* * *

Chapter Three**

**

* * *

**

Ianto ran blindly through the crowd, willing himself not to cry and make Jack's humiliation of him complete. So focused was he on getting away from Jack and anyone associated with the studio, he barely noticed when he pushed past Gwen and John who were arguing over whether or not there was alcohol in his thermos.

"Watch it, On-My-Toe!" Gwen yelled after him, using the nickname she and the others had made up not long after Ianto had joined the studio. She glared at his retreating back as he disappeared behind the curtains beside the stage. What the hell was he doing so dressed up at this event anyway? Shaking her head in frustration, she turned back to John, noticing that he was sweating from the effort to stay upright while taking another swig from his thermos full of 'vitamin juice'.

"I can't believe you came here drunk!" Gwen complained, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"Back off girlie," John slurred back at her. "I'm a champion, show some respect. You're lucky I was desperate enough for a partner to pick you up in the first place!" Gwen opened her mouth to snarl a reply, but quickly morphed it into a smile when she saw Jack heading towards her.

"Jack, hi!" Gwen exclaimed catching his arm as he passed to hold him between her and John. "I'm _so _glad to see you."

"Hi Gwen," Jack replied, scanning the crowd as if looking for someone. "Have you seen Ianto?"

"He was just here," she answered, and Jack turned to look at her for the first time.

"Tell me where he went?" Jack demanded, grabbing her by the arms.

"Somewhere near the curtains next to the stage," Gwen answered, frowning in confusion. "What do you want with him anyway?" Jack didn't answer; all of his attention was on a male silhouette behind one of the lighter curtains near the middle of the stage.

"Thanks Gwen," he threw over his shoulder as he released her and hurried away. Gwen's mouth dropped open in surprise as she watched him go.

"Looks like Jackie-boy was in a hurry," John hiccuped, as he leered after him. Gwen curled her lip in disgust. What had she ever seen in John? Sure the man could dance, but it seemed he could only perform to champion standards with a pint of scotch in his system. Closing her eyes in frustration, she shook her head and opened them to watch as Martha and Tom did a cucaracha step into a spin lift, wishing that it was her and Jack out there and she had, had enough sense to stay with him, weird steps or no.

* * *

When Jack finally caught up to Ianto, he found him standing at a slit in the curtains, staring out onto the floor watching Martha and Tom were going through their routine.

"Ianto, I'm sorry," Jack began as he approached him. Ianto didn't look up; he just held the curtain slightly open, still watching the couple on the floor. "I had no idea that they were planning any of this," he tried again, hoping that he would believe him.

"Are you going to dance with her?" Ianto asked, still not meeting his eyes.

Jack sighed.

"She's a champion, I would be a fool not to," he replied, not sure what to say.

"Of course," Ianto answered in a quiet voice. "If you want to win, you need someone more experienced." Jack didn't reply, watching as the lights from the stage played over Ianto's pale features, making the sadness on his face more pronounced.

"I've been working towards winning the Pan Atlantics since I was six years old," Jack tried to explain.

"It's all my family has wanted for me, for so long, I'm not sure that I can turn her down." Ianto turned back and looked at Jack, his face pulled into a polite mask.

"Then, I'm sure you'll win," Ianto replied, holding Jack's gaze. When it became too hard to keep himself in check, he turned back to watch the woman who would take his place. Tom spun Martha out and back, dipping her low in his arms, and pulling her up into a reverse whip-split, making the crystal encrusted feathers of her costume twinkle in the lights. "I could never dance like that," he whispered in defeat.

Jack swallowed, knowing that while it was true Ianto would never be the same as Martha, he had something she would never have; a natural grace and poise that as they had progressed in training had made even the hardest moves seem effortless. And after all of their hard work and all the risks Ianto had taken in simply dancing with him, here he was, making him feel like he wasn't good enough.

"Dance with me?" Jack asked, stepping forward and holding his hand out to him. Ianto turned from the curtain and held Jack's gaze for a moment, as if weighing his options. Slowly he took a step forward and took Jack's hand in his, letting Jack pull him into the open space behind them. The music from the routine on the other side of the curtain was still going strong, and the two of them began to dance. As they moved together, Jack felt a sensation of _rightness_, that dancing here with Ianto was exactly what he should be doing, regardless of what anyone else thought. Every extension of his body flowed into his partner's and each movement felt fluid and natural, never forced like it had been with Gwen or any of the others. So focused were the two on each other, they had no idea an audience was growing around them. Rose and Mickey had finally caught up to Jack, and as she pushed her way to the front, Rose's mouth fell open in surprise at seeing her brother dancing with Ianto.

"Never seen anything like that before," she whispered to Mickey, who nodded in response, amazed at the strength and poise the two men were showcasing in front of him. Mickey had always thought that Jack was a bit of a prat to force the same sex partner issue, but seeing him and Ianto execute a spin flip maneuver that would be impossible with a female partner, even he had to admit he was impressed.

"What the hell?" Jackie asked as she came to a stop alongside them. Rose cringed as she took in her horrified expression. She saw Jackie's arm twitch as if she was gearing up for one of her famous Tyler slaps and she knew this would not end well. Doc and Pete arrived next, and she saw the two men exchange a smile as they watched her brother and Ianto dance.

Rose pulled on Doc's tie until he was bending down far enough that she could whisper in his ear. "Are you okay with this?" she asked, hoping that she had guessed right that he was.

"I promised his dad I would make sure he was happy," Doc replied with a cryptic smile. "I don't know if this is what he had in mind, but it's the first time I have seen our Jack smile in ages." Rose looked away from him and saw that he was right; the two men were smiling at each other as they danced, both of them seemingly glowing with happiness and oblivious to anything else around them.

"What the bloody hell is this?" Gwen demanded as she pushed her way to the front of the group. Ianto glanced her way in surprise and stumbled, falling to the floor in a heap. Jack was immediately at his side, helping him up and asking if he was okay.

Ianto pushed himself to his feet, his face flushed crimson in embarrassment, and his cheek bleeding from where he had scraped it on the floor. "Slight loss of dignity, but I'll manage," he replied, glancing over to where Gwen and Jackie were glaring at them. Jack followed his gaze, his eyes narrowing as he realized what had made Ianto fall. Before he could say anything, the curtain in front of them rose as Martha and Tom exited the floor, having finished their routine. Jackie ran to intercept them, with Gwen, Pete, Doc, and the others in tow.

"Martha! Wonderful performance, very um, feathery," Doc complimented, grinning like a loon as he tried to give Jack and Ianto a chance to escape. Martha smiled back at him in thanks and looked over his shoulder at where Jack was turning Ianto's face to the side and examining the damage to his cheek.

"Is he alright?" she asked, seeing that someone was hurt. "I'm training to be a doctor, can I help?"

"Just a silly accident, not to worry," Jackie said, blocking them from view. "Wonderful as always Martha," Jackie added, trying to distract her. "I'm Jackie Tyler, Jack's mother," she added putting on her best smile and holding out her hand. "Why don't you get changed, and Jack can meet you at the social dance in a few?"

"Sounds good," Martha replied with a smile. Casting one last worried glance Ianto's way, she and Tom made their way through the crowd to the changing rooms.

Jackie whirled around and pushed her way to Jack's side. "Step back son, let me take a look at him," she ordered, pushing Jack aside to look at Ianto's cheek. "Doesn't look like it will need stitches, but I'm going to take him to first aid and get him fixed up just the same." Ianto started to protest that he was fine, but Jackie grabbed him by the arm and started ushering him away. "Now Ianto you know that cut needs to be cleaned," she scolded, pushing him through the onlookers with Tosh and Gwen right behind her.

Ianto looked back at Jack who attempted to follow him, only to be stopped by Lucy Saxon.

"Mr. Saxon would like a word with you," she said, blocking his way and leaving no room for argument. Jack looked over her shoulder, watching as Ianto and the others enter the first aid room and Gwen shut the door firmly behind down at where Lucy waited, tapping her foot in impatience, his shoulders sagged in defeat. He only hoped that once Saxon had finished his lecture on the need to follow federation rules, Ianto had somehow escaped his mother in one piece.

* * *

"Now let's get a good look at that cheek," Jackie ordered, sitting Ianto down in a chair before opening the first aid kit and pulling out the medicinal wipes. Ianto winced as she scrubbed at the cut, taking off the dirt, and what felt like an entire layer of skin as she cleaned it.

"Just what did you think you were doing?" Gwen asked staring down at Ianto in disgust. "Men should only dance with ladies, not other men. Are you trying to ruin Jack's career?"

"No," Ianto whispered, staring down at the floor. He knew that none of them would believe that it had been Jack who had decided they should dance in the competition today, not him.

"Well then, you know it's best for all of us if you go home and forget all about dancing with my son," Jackie said, coating the cut with ointment. Ianto looked up at her, and saw the determination in her eyes. This was a woman who would stop at nothing to ensure that her son was a champion, and Ianto was merely a distraction that would no longer be tolerated. Jackie ripped the top off of a plaster and pushed it firmly into place over the cut, scraping her long nails over it as she did so, causing Ianto to tear up in pain.

"Yes, Mrs. Tyler," he whispered, biting his lip to ensure that the tears would not fall. He'd be damned if he let them see him cry.

"There all settled," Jackie said with a smile, patting Ianto's leg. Ianto stood up and straightened his tie, before crossing the room to open the door. Just before he did so, he felt a hand on his arm.

"For what it's worth, I think you danced very well," Tosh whispered. Ianto looked down at her, and saw that she was sincere.

"Thanks Tosh," he said with a sad smile, before opening the door. Turning towards the exit, he walked as fast as he could and still keep some of his dignity intact, his only thought being that Jack had left him to the wolves, and deserved whatever Saxon and the others threw at him.

* * *

After getting an earful from Saxon about how he needed to 'toe the line' and to 'quit being a freak' and dance with a girl and the right steps like everyone else, Jack went back out in search of Ianto.

Making his way backstage, he saw his mother and Doc talking to Martha, who had changed into a shimmering gold dress that set off the jewels still in her hair and made her look like an African goddess.

"Oh Jack, there you are," Jackie said as he approached. Jack looked at the group surrounding her. Gwen looked irritated, Rose and Mickey confused, Owen frustrated, Tosh apprehensive, Doc and Pete sad.

"Come and meet Martha." Martha turned to him with a smile.

"Hello Martha," he said with nod before turning back to his mother.

"Where's Ianto?" he asked, noticing that he wasn't with them.

"Who's Ianto?" Martha asked, confused.

"The man who fell," Rose said helpfully. "Mum took him back to patch him up." Jackie froze as all eyes turned to her.

"He went home," Jackie said quickly. "But let's not worry about that now," she added, grasping Jack's arm with a nervous smile. "Martha's been waiting patiently, why don't you two take a turn on the floor and get to know each other better." Jackie smiled pushing Jack towards Martha.

"No one has seen him have they?" he asked the group. When no one answered, he threw off Jackie's arm and stepped towards Martha, raising her hand to his lips. "I'm sorry Martha," he said kissing her hand. "But I'm not available. There's another Jones that I need to find first." Releasing her hand, he turned towards the exit sprinting for the door.

"But, Harry said that he wanted me for a partner?" Martha asked confused. Jackie smiled back at her.

"Excuse me a moment," she said, still smiling as she turned to chase after her wayward son, grabbing Doc by the arm and dragging him behind her.

Rose and Mickey exchanged a shrug and hurried to follow, with Gwen, Pete, Tosh and Owen close behind, leaving Martha standing by herself.

"All alone songbird?" John Hart asked, sauntering up to her and holding out a glass of champagne.

Martha gave him the once over. Hart looked reasonably sober, which was saying a lot for him, and she really did need to make an appearance in the social dance to let people know that she was still available even if Tom had retired. The money she won in these competitions was paying for medical school and she couldn't afford to miss the Pan Atlantics. While he wasn't her first choice, he was at least at a level competitive enough to dance with her and she was running out of options.

"Alright Hart," she said downing the champagne in one go for a little Dutch courage. "Let's see what you've got."

* * *

"Jack wait!" called Jackie struggling to keep up with him in her heels. Jack stopped at the steps in front of the exit doors.

"What for?" he asked, his eyes blazing in anger. "So you can lie to me again about Ianto leaving, or so that Gwen can try and force me to dance with her so that she can win?"

"What is wrong with you?" Jackie demanded. "Harry Saxon gives you Martha Jones on a platter and you kiss her hand and run away to dance with some, some _man _who can barely dance a basic."

Jack barked out a laugh. "That's what I've been asking myself for weeks now," he replied. "What is so wrong with me and the way I dance?"

"I thought it was good," Rose panted, slightly out of breath. "What you danced with Ianto, I thought it was good."

"Oh what do you know?" dismissed Gwen. "The steps were all wrong and a man can never be as graceful as a female partner."

"I think you're wrong," said Tosh, surprising everyone. "Maybe we all have it wrong. I thought Ianto was quite graceful," she added, her face turning red as she realized everyone was looking at her.

"Well it won't win the Pan Atlantics," Jackie said, crossing her arms. "Harry Saxon said that-"

"Harry Saxon," sneered Jack. "He's got all of you running scared doesn't he?" he asked looking at the stunned looks on their faces. "Look at you all afraid of the great Harry Saxon, afraid to even think for yourselves." He stopped and looked down at his little sister, only fifteen and already she was getting caught up in the same web of lies and mediocrity that he had choked against for over a decade. How long before she lost the ability to think for herself as well? "Maybe it's time for a new federation president?" he reasoned. "Haven't we been smothered by him long enough?" No one replied. All of them just stared back at him, stunned at what he had said. Shaking his head in disbelief, Jack turned to go.

"You can't just leave Jack!" Jackie cried out as he reached the doors. "What about Martha?"

"If you like her so much, why don't you dance with her?" Jack shot back before pushing the doors open and heading out into the night.

* * *

Jack drove to the estate and parked his car to walk the short distance to Ianto's house. As he approached, the sounds of laughter and guitar music floated over the fence beside it. Jack crept closer and went to the part of the fence Ianto had opened the night before and reached over to find the gate latch. Letting himself in, he stayed to the shadows alongside the house, his heart starting to beat along with the music as he drew closer to the lights at the back. When he reached the corner he stopped. Ianto was sitting on a battered old bench, jacket off, waistcoat still on, but shirt sleeves rolled up, and tie nowhere to be seen. He was nursing a beer and watching as several other people danced on the deck before him.

"Psst! Ianto," Jack whispered, trying to get his attention. Ianto must not have heard him as he stood up to stretch, his long body bowing backwards until he was nearly bent in half, causing Jack's eyes to go wide. He had no idea he was that flexible.

"Ianto ven aquí!" someone called out and Ianto straightened up and grinned. Jack leaned slightly around the corner and watched him meet a curvaceous brunette at the center of the deck, now stage. He pulled her into a hug before kissing her forehead and holding her back out at arm's length. Dropping one of her arms, he straightened up and turned with her to bow to the musicians who were sitting on the other side of the deck. A lone singer sang out a cante and as he came down from his scale, the guitars joined in with a sharp strum. People gathered around and started clapping out a rhythm and as Jack watched, Ianto and the woman let go of each other's hand and began to clap along, walking slowly in a circle as they brought the rhythm to the spectators at the gathering. Once they had been all the way around, they turned to face each other and began to dance. The woman swished her skirt in a snapping motion, and the two of them held their arms out bowed slightly in front and behind them, while tapping and dancing their feet around each other in a flurry of precise movements. Eventually they started alternating with first the woman and then Ianto taking over as the primary dancer. At length the two of them danced together, alternating feet and legs until it looked more like a duel then a dance. The music grew faster and faster until finally it stopped with the woman standing tall with one hand bent above her and the other clasped in Ianto's who had stretched one leg back behind him and bent the other towards her so that she could rest the point of her shoe on it, snapping the ruffles of her skirt to slip back and reveal her shoe as the music stopped.

The gathering erupted in applause and Ianto stood up and hugged his partner, who promptly kissed him on the cheek before slapping it causing him to throw his head back and laugh.

Jack had no idea what to think as he watched them. Was this Ianto's secret dance partner? Had Ianto just been using him to learn a few new dance steps? Jack stared back over to where a small fierce looking man with curly black hair was patting Ianto on the back. Ianto smiled at him fondly, and Jack felt himself go numb. Just who where these people to Ianto? Was that his lover he had danced with? All of the remorse he had felt over what had happened at the competition was replaced by the hot kiss of jealousy. He was about to turn and walk away when he felt someone grab him from behind, pinning his arms behind his back and pushing him forward. Jack tried to struggle out of the hold, but only managed to throw himself down on the ground in front of the crowd of people on the deck.

Glancing up he saw Ianto staring down at him with a puzzled look.

"Jack?" he asked in surprise, placing his hands on his hips. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to apologize," Jack replied, pushing himself to his feet in anger. "But it would seem that you already have a new dance partner so I'll just be going instead." He turned to leave, only to find his way blocked by the fierce looking man he had seen earlier.

"¿Quién es este hombre?" Rico asked, directing the question to Ianto.

"He's my dance partner Tío Rico," Ianto replied, causing a few of those gathered to gasp in surprise.

"You dance with this, this _man_?" Rico asked as he crossed his arms and began to circle around Jack.

"I'm a Latin dance champion thank you very much," Jack retorted, not caring for his attitude.

"Champion eh? So Mister Champion, what sort of dancing are you doing with my nephew so late at night?" Rico demanded.

"Paso Doble and Rumba mainly," Jack threw back at him with a smirk.

"Paso Doble? Seriously?" the woman standing next to Ianto asked, turning to him and demanding an answer.

"Well, ballroom's version at least," Ianto replied with a grin.

"Oh this I've gotta see," replied the woman bouncing off the deck to grab Jack by the hand. "Don't let Uncle Rico frighten you, Jack was it?" she said as she pulled him onto the stage. "He's been dancing for years and refuses to teach us. If my brother managed to finally learn it, I want to see it!" Jack turned to Ianto.

"She's your sister?" he asked, suddenly feeling a bit sheepish for being so jealous before. Ianto didn't reply, he just turned to his sister and threw out a rapid fire mix of Welsh and Spanish that Jack couldn't even begin to follow.

"Get over yourself little brother," Rhiannon replied, rolling her eyes at him. "You've been dancing Flamenco since you we were little, and there is no such thing as acute stage fright." She grabbed her brother by the arm and thrust him at Jack. "Come on you lumps, get to it!" Jack swallowed as he saw the barely contained fury on Ianto's face.

"When this is over, promise me you will leave me alone," Ianto hissed at Jack as he took his hand.

"Come on, show us your Paso Doble," Rico called out as Rhiannon left them to stand at his side.

The music began and the two of them went through the routine. While the movements were the same as ever, they had lost their fluidity and rhythm. Finally Ianto had enough and shoved Jack away from him in frustration. The music stopped and the onlookers began to laugh.

"What?" Jack yelled back at them. "What's so funny?" Rico held up a hand and the laughing stopped.

"Paso Doble eh?" he asked, staring at Jack. The music started again and the floor cleared as Rico picked up a gold matador jacket and slipped it on. As the drumbeat and rhythm of the guitar grew stronger, Rico began to dance a Flamenco version of the Paso Doble. The small man suddenly seemed ten feet tall and Jack stared at him in wonder as the promise of what Ianto had done earlier with his sister was realized in the passionate and ornate steps that Rico hammered out with each spin and stomp of his boots. When the music stopped, the two remained staring at each other, and Jack lowered his head, acknowledging that he had been beaten.

"_This_ is what you waste your time on?" Rico demanded as he strode across the floor to stand in front of Ianto.

"If it's so bad, why don't you teach us then?" Ianto threw back, staring him down. Rico's eyes narrowed and he glanced from Ianto, to Jack and back.

"You would listen enough to learn?" he asked, directing his gaze at his nephew. Ianto nodded. Rico glanced back at Jack as if sizing him up. "And you?"

"It would be an honor," Jack said, surprising himself as he realized he meant it.

"I'm learning too!" Rhiannon chimed in. "I may not be dancing in some fancy pants competition, but I'll be damned if Ianto is going to be the only one Rico teaches." She glanced at Ianto, daring him to say no.

"Fine, fine," Ianto said with a sigh. "But if Rhiannon is going to dance with us, she needs a partner as well." Rhiannon scowled and then swept her eyes around the crowd, her gaze falling on her cousin. Walking over, she took the beer from his hand and put in on the table, grabbing him by the arm and hauling him over to where the others waited before he could protest.

"Rhys? Rhiannon are you serious?" Ianto asked, looking at the slightly frightened expression on his cousin's face.

"He'll do just as well as your Jack here," she said with a sniff. "Besides I saw him checking out that Gwen girl at the studio when we picked you up last month. Maybe if he has a few fancy moves under his belt, she might be interested."

Rhys turned a deep shade of red and Jack turned to him in surprise. "You have a thing for Gwen?"

"She's a bit of alright," Rhys replied with a shrug. He and Ianto exchanged a look. "It's the gap in her teeth," Rhys hastened to explain. "Something about that and her gorgeous green eyes, just drives me a bit loco."

Ianto looked over to where Rico was staring at his other nephew in disbelief. "Monton de idiotas," he muttered under his breath, before clapping his hands and giving them all a stern look.

"Enough!" he scolded, calling them to attention. "Let's begin."

Before the night was over, Jack had mastered at least a few basic steps of Flamenco and found himself dancing with abandon amongst Ianto's mix of Welsh and Spanish relatives. For the first time in his life, he was dancing for the sheer joy of it.

As he drove home later that night, his head was full of new ideas and how much he couldn't wait to dance with Ianto again. He thought back over the way Ianto's hand had lingered in his own as the two said goodbye at the end of the evening. They had only broken contact when Rico had come over to begrudgingly shake his hand and tell him that Jack was welcome to come back tomorrow.

He pulled up in front of his parent's house, noticing that the lights were still on. Taking a deep breath, he combed his hair back into some semblance of normal and went inside to face the music, hoping that he could convince his family that he was making the right decision.


	4. Chapter 4

_Final chapter should be up tomorrow. Thanks to all of you for reading. Reviews are most appreciated._

**

* * *

Chapter Four**

* * *

_Jones-Hernandez Household_

_The following Afternoon_

As Rico took him through a series of warm up exercises, Jack went back over the conversation; no the _argument _he had with Jackie the evening before. Despite his hopes that she or at the very least Pete would understand, it had not gone well at all. After ranting at Jack loud enough to wake up Rose and cause the neighbors to peek out their windows, Jackie had slapped him hard, leaving a bruised handprint on his cheek that was still visible this morning. But he wasn't sorry. The thrill of learning a new style of dance and embracing it with the passion that seemed to color everything Ianto's family did was enough to make him push any regrets he might have about disappointing his family firmly to the back of his mind. Throwing a grin over to where Ianto was getting fitted for the red and black matador style jacket that Rhiannon was making over for the competition, he knew he had made the right choice.

"He seems to be getting the hang of it," Rhiannon commented as she fitted her Tad's old dance jacket onto her brother. Ianto glanced over and saw Jack grin at him before starting to circle Rico as he taught him another move.

"Am I doing the right thing Rhi?" Ianto asked as she pinned the sides where she would take it in to accommodate his leaner frame. "What if people laugh at us?"

"Men have been dancing Flamenco side by side for ages," Rhiannon replied with a shrug. "And you know what Mam always said."

"A life without fear is a life half lived," Ianto replied with a sigh. "I know. I just, I've only ever really performed in front of the family before. What if I make a fool out of myself?" Rhiannon pulled the collar back, making Ianto's shoulders arch back and forcing him to stand up straight.

"Tad wasn't a handsome man," she reminded him. "But with Mam at his side, the two of them could still light up the stage."

"But Mam was beautiful," Ianto replied with a sigh. "And Tad was an amazing dancer. I just don't know if I have enough talent to make this work."

"You listen to me Ianto Antonio Hernandez Jones," Rhiannon ordered. Ianto looked down at his sister, and she reached up to put her hands on his arms. "You are a Hernandez and a Jones. One family has danced and fought for Kings for centuries, the other stood alongside Owain Glyndwr against the English." She stepped back and put her hands on her hips. "And you are not going to disgrace either of them. We'll fix up this jacket, and you will wear it in the competition dancing with Jack for the entire world to see, and if any of them don't like it, you can be sure that they will have me to answer to."

Ianto smiled. "Thanks Rhi," he said pulling her in for a hug. "I couldn't do this without you."

"Yes, well, you are still a brat for leaving me with all the sewing for a week," she replied releasing him. "And just keep in mind that dancing is one thing, if you start going bender, I'll still love you, but you are explaining that one to Uncle Rico on your own." Ianto laughed.

"Ianto!" Rico called out as if on cue. "Come down here."

Ianto shrugged off the jacket and handed it to Rhiannon before hopping down the steps to where Rico and Jack were practicing on the deck.

"It's too jazzy," Rico complained as Jack spun and stopped. "Don't throw away your energy." He grabbed Ianto and pulled him into first position. "See…keep the focus between you." Rico put Ianto through several movements and kept up his commentary.

"The face is strong, not smiling," he remarked as they circled each other. "Si. Uno, dos, tres," he counted as they continued to dance. "Hyah!" he called out and the two of them began to move Flamenco style around one another. They danced faster and faster until they came to a stop alongside one another. Rico stopped and stared as his nephew. "Muy bien, Ianto. Very good," he said impressed, before stepping back and gesturing to Jack. "Now you two try."

Jack stood up from where he was leaning against a nearby table and positioned himself in front of Ianto.

"Uno, dos, y tres," Rico called out, and the two began to dance. Rico clapped his hands, creating a simple rhythm for them to follow as they went through the routine.

* * *

A few days later, Sarah Jane followed up on her original story, finding that most of the Dancesport world was clamoring for change, not only in steps, but in the ability to have partners of the same gender.

She contacted Harold Saxon to get his comments on the rumored changes to be showcased at the Pan Atlantics, and he gave her a succinct and short reply: "I can unequivocally state that there will be no new steps or partner style changes ratified for the Pan Atlantic Grand Prix." He had also called her a mud-slinging sensationalist, but Sarah Jane was too much of a lady to put that in print and had promptly hung up on him.

Unknown to her, the call had been the last straw for Saxon. "It's time to bring that boy to heel," he said to Lucy as he slammed down the phone. "Something's got to be done about this, and I know just who's going to help me." Reaching for the phone he started to make his calls. This was going to be taken care of tonight. He was the Master of U.K. Dancesport dammit! Jack's silliness had gone on long enough.

* * *

_Home of Harold and Lucy Saxon_

_Later that evening_

"If you can't dance the step, you can't teach it," Harry began once everyone had assembled. "If you can't teach it, we might as well all go home. Since Hart's dancing with Martha, Gwen is available again." He looked pointedly at Jackie. "This is your chance to get your status as a studio back on track."

"Harry we've tried everything!" Jackie threw back at him in exasperation. "He refuses to listen and we've tried everything we can to convince him!" She cringed remembering how hard she had slapped her son a few nights before. He had barely been home since, coming in at one in the morning to eat and sleep before heading back out as soon as dawn broke. The tension was tearing the family apart and she didn't know what to do.

"But you haven't told him the truth," Harry replied with a smug smile.

"What do you mean?" Jackie asked. She knew that smile and it never meant anything good.

"Look, there's far too much history for us to beat about the bush," he said winking at Doc, who stiffened and looked away. "I know that we agreed the past should be put behind us." He turned to Pete who merely stared back at him. "But it's about time that your son learned some home-truths about what this kind of thinking can lead to." All eyes turned to Pete, who rose stiffly from his seat, refusing to meet their gaze.

"I'd better get home and fill the drink machine," he muttered, before turning to leave. Doc stood up to follow him.

"You leave Jack alone," Doc said, glaring at Saxon. "I promised Franklin that I would make sure his boy had the ability to dance with whomever, however he wants. This has gone far enough."

"Don't cross me Doc," Saxon warned. "I can have your license revoked faster than you can say police box." Doc shook his head in disgust.

"The only thing I care about is making sure that you don't harm him the way you did his father." He held his gaze a moment longer before turning to Jackie. "I'll see you tomorrow. Don't let him goad you into anything else." With one final glare at Saxon, he left the room. Jackie watched him go, before glancing back to where Lucy sat in the corner smoking a cigarette. Lucy and Harry exchanged a knowing smile and Jackie began to wonder if it had been a wise idea to stay behind, alone with the two of them.

"I just want to talk to him Jackie, that's all," Harry reassured Jackie, patting her arm. "He's worked far too hard to miss out on his chance at the Pan Atlantics, don't you think?" Jackie blinked. Was Harry actually trying to help her son? She searched his face and saw nothing but sincerity written in his features. Maybe Harry actually did have more than just his own interests at heart.

"I guess a chat wouldn't hurt," she conceded, and Harry's grin widened.

"I promise to be gentle with him," he reassured her as they stood to leave. "Thank you so much for coming Jackie, I am sure this will all work out somehow." Jackie nodded and Harry pulled her into a hug. Jackie was so relieved that she missed the wink that Harry threw over her shoulder at Lucy. Smiling to himself, he showed her out. Everything was going exactly as planned.

* * *

By the eve of the Pan Atlantics, the routine had finally coming together. Jack and Ianto went through it once again, this time with Rhiannon, Rhys, and Rico and a few other family friends watching from the sidelines as their friend Andres played out a tune on his guitar. As the song ended, they came to a stop facing one another and Jack found himself staring into Ianto's eyes, panting for breath. Before either of them could speak, Rhiannon ran over to congratulate them.

"That was brilliant!" she exclaimed. "You two are going to do great at the Pan Atlantics." Rico didn't say anything, he just gave them a nod, which Jack had come to realize meant that he agreed.

"Thank you," Jack said, holding out his hand to Rico. Rico glanced down at his hand and back up at his face with a piercing gaze, unnerving Jack to the point that he started to drop his hand in embarrassment. As it fell, Rico stepped forward and shook it with a firm grip.

"Just don't let my nephew down," Rico said gruffly, before releasing him and slapping him on the shoulder as he passed by on his way to the table. An impromptu gathering had begun and several people were milling about eating, drinking, and sharing stories; enjoying a rare warm evening in Cardiff.

Jack looked over to where Ianto was talking to Rhys, and rolling his eyes as Rhys told him about seeing Gwen in town the day before.

"Walk me to my car?" Jack asked, interrupting them. Ianto nodded, and followed Jack out the gate and onto the street.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Jack asked as the strolled down the street.

"Of course," Ianto replied. "Aren't you?"

"I never thought we would make it this far," Jack conceded. "But I'm glad we did." Ianto glanced over and gave him a shy smile. They had reached Jack's car, but rather then unlock it he leaned against the door. Ianto came to a stop leaning alongside him with his hands in his pockets. They stood there in a comfortable silence looking up at the full moon as it chased away the clouds of the star filled night.

"Ianto?" Jack asked.

"Hmm?" he replied, keeping his gaze skyward.

"Remember what I said about the Rumba…and how it was all pretend?" Jack pressed on, hoping that Ianto would understand what he was trying to say.

"Yep," Ianto replied, still not looking at him.

"Well," Jack said clearing his throat. "I think I made a mistake."

Ianto looked down and saw that Jack was staring at him. "A mistake?" he asked.

"A big one," Jack replied, as he moved closer.

"And that was?" Ianto asked, unsure of where he was going with this.

"I'm not pretending anymore," Jack whispered, before leaning forward and capturing Ianto's lips in a soft kiss. Ianto felt his heart race as he tried to register the fact that he was actually kissing Jack. He had fancied men before, but never really acted on it. But this, this felt _right_.

"I-I wasn't wrong was I?" Jack asked as he pulled back and searched Ianto's face hoping that he was right in thinking that Ianto liked him. Rather than answer, Ianto reached up and grabbed Jack by the back of his head, pulling him in for a kiss filled with all of the passion that he had been suppressing over the last week. Ever since they started training with Rico he had felt it building up between them, and now that he set it free, he felt like his heart might burst.

"Okay so definitely not wrong," Jack said with a grin when they finally came up for air.

"No, very right," Ianto agreed with a grin of his own. Jack kissed him again, gentler this time, filled with a promise of things to come.

"Oh no!" Jack suddenly groaned. Ianto frowned at him in confusion. "I promised to meet Owen tonight," he hurriedly explained. "I promised to help him with that damned Bogo Pogo step."

"Best not keep him waiting," Ianto replied with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow then, yeah?"

"Looking forward to it," Jack said, giving him a last kiss goodbye. He got into his car and rolled down his window. "No matter what happens tomorrow, I am glad that I am going to be dancing with you." He said, and Ianto smiled, raising his hand in farewell. Jack smiled back and started the drive home, glancing back in his mirror and watching as Ianto faded into the distance.

* * *

"Owen!" Jack called when he got back to the studio. It was late and the studio looked deserted.

"Owen's not here," called Harry Saxon as he stepped out from the shadows. "Hope you don't mind, I asked Mister Harper to leave so that I might have a chance to speak to you."

"Look, we know we can't win," Jack started to explain as Harry Saxon walked across the floor. "But we're going to dance anyway, so let's not waste each other's time." He gave Harry a glare and made his way over to the men's changing room door. "I trust you can find your own way out?" He said as he stopped in front of it.

"He was the most beautiful dancer I'd ever seen," Harry said, ignoring his outburst. Jack turned to find Harry staring at the picture of Doc and Jackie dancing. "He could have been the greatest champion of them all. But he was like you, he threw it all away."

"What are you talking about?" Jack asked.

"I'm talking about the man who was potentially the greatest ballroom dancer this country has ever seen," Harry responded, looking off in the distance as if lost in thought. "I'm talking about your father, Franklin Harkness."

"My father never even danced," Jack threw back at him. "Jackie always said that he had two left feet."

"She only said that so that you would never know," Harry replied. "Franklin Harkness was an inspiration to us all."

"But that's Doc," said Jack walking up to look at the picture in his hand.

"No Jack," said Harry. "That's Franklin. Before you were born he and Jackie were the best bloody dance couple ever." Jack stared at him in disbelief. "Your dad, he had it all, looks, charm, confidence. He had everything. All of the ladies and most of the gentlemen wanted him, or at least wanted to be him." Jack sat down listening to Harry talk, why had Jackie never told him this?

"I was your dad's best mate in those days; me, Frank, Doc, and Pete, the old gang," he paused to take the picture back from Jack. "We all wanted to win of course, but with your mum as your dad's partner, we had no chance. They were magnificent. They had it all before them, a perfect career. But then it all changed." Harry paused and Jack looked over at him as sadness seemed to come over him.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Franklin became obsessed with the idea that new steps were needed," Harry continued. "Hell he even thought that some of them should only be performed by two male partners." He glanced over and saw Jack frown. "None of us knew what to make of it. He started throwing wild, crowd pleasing steps into his routines, even entering the odd competition with Pete who seemed to buy into his shenanigans. Your mum put up with it for as long as she could, but it wasn't too long before she cracked."

He looked up at Jack. "A bit like you, he thought that he could win the Pan Atlantic Grand Prix, dancing with Pete and using steps that weren't strictly ballroom." He paused and set the picture back on the counter. "Needless to say he lost. I was lucky enough to win that year, but your father never recovered. You know the rest." Jack sighed. His father had died a few months later in a car crash, leaving a pregnant Jackie all alone. She had married Pete a year or so later.

"But what about Pete?" he asked, knowing that there must be more to the story.

"He vowed never to dance again," Harry replied. "He was never quite the same. When you took an interest in dance, he vowed that one day, you would win the trophy that they never could." He put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "That's why I've been so hard on you. For Pete to see you get so close and go the same way he did, I really think it would kill him." He pulled something out of his pocket. "I managed to save a small souvenir," he said, pulling an entry pennant from his pocket bearing the names of Pete Tyler and Franklin Harkness. "Don't tell anyone I have it."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Jack asked, running his hand over the faded lettering.

"Pete's a proud man Jack. He wouldn't want me to do this, but I'm begging you, dance with Gwen and win it just once for Pete," Harry pleaded. "He's suffered enough. Doesn't he deserve a little happiness?"

He stepped away from Jack and made his way to the door. "Ultimately it's up to you of course. You'll do what you think is best." He said as he paused at the door. "I know you'll make the right decision," he added, turning to give Jack one last parting glance before shutting the door behind him. Stepping out into the night, he smiled to himself. Mission accomplished.

* * *

Jack was reeling from Harry's revelations. Going down into the basement, he broke the lock on the cabinet that Pete was always puttering about in. He found tons of old pictures of Franklin and Doc, of Pete and Franklin, Pete and Jackie, Franklin and Jackie, Doc and Jackie, and finally one of all of them together. He knew what he had to do, but how was he going to tell Ianto?

* * *

_Pan Atlantic Grand Prix Competition_

_Blackpool, England_

_The following afternoon_

"Very good, darlings!" Jackie praised as Jack and Gwen left the floor having just finished the Viennese Waltz portion of the ballroom competition.

"Yes well done," commented Doc, forcing a smile.

"I can't believe you John!" complained Martha as she rushed past.

"I only had one drink!" protested John Hart as he followed her off the floor.

"Poor Martha," commented Gwen in sympathy. "It's like dancing in a brewery." The others snickered. Hart's penchant for alcohol was now well known.

The announcer called out the beginners final and Rose spied Ianto amongst the dancers, dressed immaculately as always in an black three piece suit with a white shirt and a red tie.

"Look Jack, it's Ianto!" she called out. Jack looked over at his former partner, dancing with Natalie from the beginner's class. He took a step towards him wanting desperately to explain, but stopped when he saw Ianto turn to glare at him before turning the other way.

"Back in beginner's I see," observed Doc, watching as Jack stared after him. "He's good enough, he'll be moving up soon for certain."

"I didn't think he would turn up," huffed Gwen. "Seems a bit silly for him even to compete now."

"He's actually quite good," Tosh commented watching as he led Natalie across the floor. Gwen glared at her and kicked Owen in the shin to back her up. He winced and moved forward to reassure his friend.

"You made the right decision Jack," he said, patting him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about what anyone else says, you're going to do well in the Latin for sure." Jack smiled back at him in thanks.

"I know it's been confusing," added Jackie, as she straightened his collar, "but you did the right thing in putting yourself in line with federation rules." Jack gave her a small smile, and glanced over her shoulder to watch Ianto. "I'm sure you'll see it reflected in the marks for the Open Latin Final." Pete pressed forward with his camera, pushing past Gwen to film Ianto dancing.

"Son, can I bend your ear for a tick?" he asked, lowering his camera and looking at Jack.

"Pete!" Jackie yelled at him. "Don't be stupid, he's got to get ready for the Latin final."

"I need to head back up to the judges table," Doc interjected before she could rant any further. "Best of luck all of you." He said, before turning to leave. Jack caught his eye and Doc winked as he passed. Jack stared after him, wondering what the wink was for. As he watched him go, he saw Doc turn and glance over to where Ianto was dancing and shake his head.

"Come on, come on, time to get ready," Jackie said shooing the rest of them towards the changing rooms.

Jack followed the others, trying to keep his mind on the competition and not on the man behind him on the dance floor. The music stopped as the beginner's final ended and the next event was announced. Jack turned and saw Ianto escorting Natalie off the floor before heading backstage to change. Making a decision, he rushed towards him, darting through the other dancers and searching for Ianto, ignoring the shouts coming from behind him as he got lost in the crowd.

* * *

_Ten minutes before the Latin Dance Final…_

"Mister Saxon!" Owen called out chasing him down the hallway.

"Owen it doesn't matter," Said Tosh, chasing after him. "We need to hurry if we are going to make the final. We can leave the Bogo Pogo step out, it's fine."

"But I saw him go this way and I just want to double check it and ask a few pointers," Owen threw over his shoulder as he went down the stairs.

Tosh shook her head and followed him. Up ahead they heard voices, and the two of them stopped short, peering over the landing to watch Martha ranting at John Hart for being drunk down below.

"Don't lie to me, you can hardly stand up!" Martha complained.

"I've set it up for you to win, no matter how you dance," Harry Saxon said with a smile, stepping off the stairs to meet them. Walking forward he lifted Martha's hand to his lips in greeting.

"I can't go out there," hiccuped Hart. "Even with the drink, I've lost the old magic."

"Pull yourself together!" Harry sneered, slapping Hart's face. "You're going to be a champion so start acting like it. I won't have that freak Harkness winning this thing. When he loses, his credibility will be shot. All you need to do is go through the motions and you'll be the winner."

Owen and Tosh shared a glance and stepped back, making the way back up the stairs.

"What do we do?" Tosh asked, still surprised at what she had seen.

"We tell Doc and let him handle it," Owen replied as they hurried up the stairs. He stopped at the top and took Tosh's hand in his. "If we do this, we might not have time to compete." He explained, looking at her for confirmation of what they should do.

Tosh looked down at their joined hands and then grinned back up at him. "Well them Doctor Harper, let's go scratch out of the competition in style." Owen grinned and the two of them took off to find Doc and set things right.

* * *

Ianto finished the dance with Natalie, glad that they had done well, but wanting nothing more than to leave before he ran into Jack. He clenched his jaw in anger remembering Jack's short phone call that morning saying that he 'just couldn't do it,' and hanging up before Ianto had a chance to respond. Had he even cared about him at all? Was the entire thing just one big joke? He had a lot of questions and no answers. As he took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie backstage, he saw the man himself rushing towards him.

"What happened to a life lived in fear and all that stuff!" he demanded as Jack approached.

"Ianto I can explain!" Jack fired back.

"No, no you can't," Ianto replied. "Because I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses. You really are heartless Jack." Turning on his heel he started making his way back through the crowd, trying to put as much distance between Jack and himself as possible.

"There really is a reason," Jack tried to explain as he followed him.

"I don't want to hear it," Ianto replied, speeding up his pace.

"Listen to me please!" Jack pleaded.

"No," Ianto said firmly, continuing on his way.

"It's hard for me too Ianto," he threw out, grabbing Ianto's arm.

"Hard?" Ianto replied in disbelief, throwing off his arm. "Hard for you?" Jack blinked in surprise as Ianto crossed his arms and stared back at him. "After having to grovel to get you to dance with me in the first place?" He took a step closer and all of the insults he had been ignoring bubbled to the surface. "How's your skin Ianto? Dancing with a man are you, you poof? Why don't you just go home On-My-Toe? Hard? Jack, you don't know the meaning of the word."

"You don't understand," Jack tried to reason, realizing that he had never taken into account how things had been for Ianto.

"I understand perfectly Jack," Ianto answered, his eyes glittering in anger. "You've got your Pan Atlantics to win, and now that the little experiment is over, I'm back in beginners where I belong." Giving Jack one last glare, he pushed past him into the next room.

"Ianto!" Jack called trying to catch up with him again. He saw Ianto bump into Pete and excuse himself before continuing down the hall. Jack rushed to follow him, but Pete stopped him.

"Son, can I bend your ear for a tick?" he asked, holding him in place.

"Not now Dad," Jack replied, trying to break free and go after Ianto.

"Yes now!" Pete cried out, stopping Jack from arguing further. Settling himself down, he hastened to continue. "There's something you need to know, about the past."

"It's okay Pete. Harry told me all about you and Franklin at the Pan Atlantics," Jack said. "That's why I'm dancing with Gwen."

"But you don't understand," Pete said shaking his head in dismay. "I never danced at the Pan Atlantics Jack." Jack froze.

"But Harry told me you lost the Pan Atlantic Grand Prix by dancing your own steps with Franklin," said Jack, hoping that he was wrong and Harry hadn't lied to him.

"Harry?" Pete asked confused. "Harry was the one that convinced her to dance with Doc, and make Franklin and I drop out."

"Convinced who?" Jack asked, already knowing the answer.

"Your mother," Pete replied as Jackie ran towards them.

"Pete you silly man," Jackie complained as she started doing up Jack's collar. "He's been called they have to get out there now!"

"What are you talking about Dad?" Jack asked, while Jackie kept trying to get him ready.

"The plan was for Franklin and I to start out and then exchange partners with Doc and Jackie halfway through," Pete explained. "Show everyone that the steps and gender of your partner didn't matter. But Harry convinced your mother that it was a bad idea, and she didn't enter us, she only entered Doc and herself."

"Why did you do it Mom?" Jack asked, pushing Jackie away from him.

"I did it for us," Jackie replied, trying to drag Jack towards the stage. "It was a pipe dream and Harry said our dancing careers were on the line, we would never be able to teach!"

"You should have stuck by Franklin and me," Pete shot back. "He was your husband Jackie. Have you never wondered why he crashed a car that he meticulously maintained a few months later? You know that Harry had something to do with it, but you were always too scared to say anything."

"We had to survive," Jackie replied. "Of course I knew Harry had something to do with it. But who would believe me? Anytime I got close to filing a report, he would threaten to take away our license."

Jack stared at her in disbelief.

"So all this time, you've been surviving under Harry's thumb?" he asked. Pete nodded.

"He's kept us all living in fear of him for so long, we don't know anything else," he said with a sigh. "Only Doc stands up to him now."

The announcer made the final call for Jack and Gwen to enter the dance floor for the Latin Final and Jackie gave Jack a final push towards the stage. "You can win Jack. You can still win," Jackie urged pushing him forward.

"Son, it was the dancing that mattered," called out Pete as they reached the stage where Gwen was waiting.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about," Jackie interrupted him. "This is your day to shine Jack. Now you get out there and make me proud!"

Gwen took Jack by the arm and pulled him away as Pete called out after him. "It was the dancing that mattered. But we walked away. We lived out lives in fear!"

Jack stopped and turned back to his parents, realizing that he was doing the exact same thing that they had done; caving under the pressure of Harry Saxon, too afraid to think for himself.

The music started up and he gave Gwen a look of apology before sprinting off the stage with only one thought on his mind. Find Ianto.


	5. Chapter 5

Final Chapter - Thanks so much for reading! I'd love to hear what you think.**  


* * *

Chapter Five**

* * *

Jack ran as fast as he could, knowing that he only had minutes if he was going to catch Ianto in time.

Bursting out the side door, he ran down the ramp at the back of the stage. Luck was with him, as he found Ianto, Rhiannon, Rhys and Rico at the end of the ramp, on their way to the parking lot.

"Ianto!" he called out, causing them to turn and Rico to glare at him in anger.

"What do you want?" Ianto demanded placing his hands on his hips as Jack came to a stop in front of him.

"Do you still want to dance with me?" Jack asked, trying to catch his breath.

"I guess," Ianto replied, giving him a non-committal shrug.

"I was an ass, and I'm sorry," said Jack. "They tried to convince me that dancing with Gwen was the right thing to do, but it's all bullshit." He stepped closer to Ianto, praying that he would believe him. "All I want to do is show them how wrong they are, about you, about me, about…well everything," he added, hoping Ianto would understand. Ianto sighed and looked down at the ground. Jack's face fell. He wasn't going to forgive him.

"I brought these just in case," interrupted Rhiannon, pulling out both the gold and the red matador dance jackets from her bag. When Ianto glared at her she just smiled back at him. "What? Like you were going to say no," she said with a cheeky grin. Ianto rolled his eyes and slipped off his suit coat, putting on the red jacket.

"There's no time, we have to run," Jack said with a grin as he pulled on the gold one. Grabbing Ianto's hand they ran back inside, with the others chasing after them.

* * *

_Meanwhile behind the judges table…_

"Are you sure?" Doc asked Owen as he and Tosh told him about what they had seen and heard.

"We saw him ourselves," Owen confirmed. Doc nodded and patted Owen on the arm before pushing back through the curtains to confront Harry.

"Saxon, I want a word with you," Doc demanded as he rejoined the other judges.

"Oh, do pull yourself together Doc," Harry replied with disgust. "It's not my fault your boy chickened out."

"It wouldn't have made any difference anyway," Doc retorted. "I know what's going on. And it doesn't matter what Jack dances out there today."

Harry and Lucy exchanged a glance. "Let's take this backstage Smith," he replied, leading Doc behind the curtain as a cadence of drums signaling the beginning of the Latin Dance Final echoed through the hall.

Tosh and Owen moved over to the side, out of view but within earshot in case Saxon tried anything rash.

"We all know the real reason he didn't compete," Saxon argued with Doc as soon as they were behind the curtain. "You betrayed his father, what did you expect!"

"But you told me that Frank wanted me to dance with Jackie!" Doc insisted.

"Oh poor you," Harry replied, mocking him with a fake pout. "It's easy to believe what you want to hear, isn't it Doc? You always were too trusting for your own good."

"I won't let you get away with this," Doc answered, angry. "You've destroyed too many lives already. I won't let you destroy Jack's too."

"Listen to that cheering you pathetic has-been," Harry growled back. "That is the sound of Hart and Jones winning._ I_ am the master here, and _they_ are the future of dancesport, and no-one is going to change that."

He lifted the curtain in triumph only to have his face fall as Jack slid across the floor on his knees. He straightened up and assumed a Flamenco stance, stomping his foot to the beat before lunging forward on one knee, stretching out his left leg behind him and his right knee bent alongside where Ianto stood clapping over his right shoulder in time with the drumbeat. Ianto turned and lowered his left hand, pulling Jack to his feet and spinning him out and away from him. Jack came to a stop and the two of them moved their arms in short snapping movements as they spun back towards one another, finally spinning into each other and clasping hands as continuing across the floor in a more traditional ballroom style with Jack now taking the lead.

"Go Ianto!" called out Rhiannon from the stands. The crowd went wild with applause as the two of them executed taunt and precise movements, combining ballroom Paso Doble with traditional Flamenco until the entire routine became a fusion of grace, movement, and power.

Doc smiled in wonder as he watched the two men take over the dance floor. _This_ was the future of ballroom. The one that Pete and Franklin had foreseen all those years ago, before Harry managed to stop them. He glanced over and saw Harry was turning red in anger and smirked to himself. This time there was no stopping it. Moving towards the floor to get a better look at their routine, he searched the crowd for Pete and Jackie, knowing that he wanted to be at their side as their dream from so long ago finally came true.

* * *

Tosh and Owen came out from their hiding place, watching in amazement as Ianto and Jack burned up the floor, with steps that made standard ballroom look more than boring. Tosh turned to look at Harry, and saw him curl his lip in disgust before marching over to the podium to take the microphone.

"Owen, do something!" she whispered, nudging him in the ribs. Owen ran over to unplug the power cord before Harry could say anything to stop the dance. "Oh no you don't!" he cried out, rolling across the floor as he pulled the cord from the socket.

"This is," Harry started, before realizing that the power had been cut off. "Cut the music!" he yelled out. "Cut the music!"

Rose and Mickey, who were watching from beneath the audio booth, made their way behind the stage and snuck inside it. "He's going to cut the music. Lock the door!" Rose shrieked as one of the judges came to the door. The judge banged his hand on the glass door, trying to convince Mickey to open it, but Mickey just smiled back at him and put his hand to his ear, pretending that he couldn't hear him. Rose cheered and spun Mickey around, planting a quick kiss on his lips, causing Mickey to almost faint in surprise. Rose grinned back at him as he stumbled to stay upright, and the two of them looked out at the floor watching as her brother and Ianto continued to dance.

* * *

Jack and Ianto spun across the floor, coming towards each other and moving easily into a shoulder lift before spinning each other in and out once more. They sped up the tempo, and the steps became faster and faster until they seemed to be dancing an intricate duel that made several of the other dancers stop to watch them.

* * *

Lucy Saxon had had enough. She had seen the trouble that all of this ridiculousness of Jack's had caused her poor Harry and she was going to put a stop to it now. Walking over to the outlet charging the audio booth, she reached over and pulled out the main plug, causing the music to stop and silence to descend upon the room. Smiling to herself, she watched as the remaining dancers stopped moving. She had done her part; the rest was up to Harry.

Mickey and Rose tried desperately to bring the music back up, but it only took a glance outside the booth to see what had happened. Rose saw Lucy standing back up and straightening her dress in satisfaction and her eyes narrowed. "Come on Mickey," she said, pointing to where Lucy stood guarding the plug. "No one messes with my brother but me."

Harry, who had been struggling with Owen for the microphone cord, finally wrenched it free and kicked him away as he stood up. Striding to the podium, he took the microphone in hand, and made the announcement that he hoped would put an end to this mess.

"We have a disqualification," he called out. "This is Harold Saxon speaking. Jack Harkness and partner are suspended until further notice. Will Jack Harkness and partner please leave the floor." Jack and Ianto held onto each other and stared back at him, but neither one moved. "This is the final call," Harry continued, his voice laced with anger. "For Jack Harkness and partner to please leave the floor!"

Ianto and Jack exchanged a look and moved to opposite sides of the floor to bow before leaving. Both of them bent down, and were about to leave when they heard someone clapping at the back of the auditorium. Jack's head popped up and he saw Pete walking forward, clapping out a rhythm as he moved until he came to a stop beside the dance floor. Once he reached it, Rhiannon and Rico joined in. Jack turned towards them and caught Ianto's eye. Raising his hands above his head, he made three sharp turns before dancing his way across the floor in time with the clapping that gradually grew louder as the entire audience joined in. Once he reached Ianto, who had been dancing in place in a slowed down version of flamenco, the two of them resumed dancing together, following the cadence of clapping like a heartbeat.

Pete blinked back tears as he saw his step-son do the one thing that he had never had the courage to do himself. Trophies be damned; in his eyes, his son was the greatest champion who had ever lived.

* * *

As Jack and Ianto danced, Rose and Mickey crept up to the plug and picked it up, ready to turn the music back on. They had almost made it when Lucy caught them.

"No you don't Missy," Lucy scolded, yanking the cord from her hands.

"Shame on you Mrs. Saxon," said Rose. Mickey nodded scowling at the woman.

Lucy went to grab the cord and pull it further away, only to stop in surprise as Gwen Cooper punched her in the gut and ripped it out of her hands.

Gwen gave Rose a wink and plugged the cord back in. The music instantly started back up and Rose and Mickey exchanged grins.

"But why did you help them Gwen?" Rose asked, knowing that Gwen was no fan of Ianto's, and was still most likely mad at Jack for dumping her. Gwen shrugged.

"I hate cheaters. Besides, Jack was my partner for six years. I think it's about time we both grew up don't you?" she added, standing up to straighten her costume.

Mickey squinted at her. "You didn't want Martha and Hart to win either right?" he asked, knowing that there had to be more to it then she was letting on.

"Well it was a happy part of the package," she said with a grin, before heading towards the floor.

* * *

Back on the dance floor Jack was lifting Ianto up into an overhead lift and the crowd was cheering them on. They went through another series of intricate movements until Ianto spun across the floor in a series of spins with Jack sliding on his knees alongside him. Jack came to a stop at Ianto's feet and popped back up to grasp his hand, spinning together once before dropping down and finishing the dance in the same stance in which he began. Just before the music ended, he popped back up again and changed places with Ianto, each of them taking the stance the other had held at the beginning of the routine. Ianto thrust his right hand out behind him, and Jack flung his up in an arch. As each of their right hands moved, their left snapped together, clasping as the last note sounded.

The music stopped and the applause was deafening as the crowd praised their performance. Jack grinned and Ianto laughed as they realized that they had actually succeeded in performing as they wanted to at the most prestigious competition in the U.K. The DJ cued up songs for the social dance, and as the music started to fill the room, Pete made his way over to Jackie, holding out his hand as he asked her to dance with him for the first time since that fateful competition years before. Owen and Tosh ran out and joined them, with most of the audience getting caught up in the moment and following suit. Gwen came up to Ianto and Jack, and congratulated them on their performance, asking Ianto if he could show her some of the moves they had done. Ianto and Jack exchanged a look and led her over to the side of the dance floor where Rhys stood watching with Rhiannon.

"Gwen, this is my cousin Rhys," Ianto introduced them. "Rhys meet Gwen." Rhiannon winked at her brother and pushed Rhys forward. "Gwen is _very _interested in Flamenco," Jack explained as Rhys sputtered a hello and asked her to dance. Gwen gave him a gap toothed smile and Rhys returned it, spinning her out onto the floor. Jack and Ianto exchanged a grin and looked over to where Rico and Doc were arguing over different aspects of Flamenco on the edge of the dance floor while Sarah Jane, who had covered the event as the final piece of her dancesport series, furiously scribbled down every word. Eventually Rico threw up his arms in frustration and pulled Doc onto the floor to show him what he meant, causing Sarah Jane to shake her head fondly watching them go. Ianto caught her eye and she winked back at him.

Rhiannon saw Johnny from the beginner's class standing alone on the sidelines and grabbed him by the hand to dance with her, ignoring the man's protests that he had wonky arms.

Jack glanced around and saw that all of his favorite people had paired off. As the chorus to _'Love is in the Air'_ blared out over the sound system, he turned to face Ianto, the man who had made all of this possible. Pulling him flush against him, the two men began dancing, never taking their eyes off each other. "Thank you," Jack whispered as he leaned in and captured Ianto's lips with his own. As the kiss deepened, Jack felt a hand tap him on the shoulder. Jack tore himself away and saw that Rico was standing beside him and shaking his finger back and forth.

"Not on the dance floor," Rico scolded. "Passion in the dancing yes, but el amor is for the bedroom." He gave Jack a wink, and patted Ianto on the shoulder, before spinning on his heel to leave.

"I think he likes you," Ianto said with a smirk, watching as Rico moved across the floor to rejoin Doc and Sarah Jane.

"I certainly hope so," Jack said, stealing another kiss.

"None of that Jack!" called out Doc, shaking his head from the side of the dance floor. Jack pouted and Ianto threw his head back and laughed before stealing a kiss of his own.

_finis_


End file.
